150 Days Left!

Nothing new to say other than just a boring week. Honestly. Nothing really cool happened.

INVESTIGATORS

Alejandra and Jesus: We lost contact with them. We're going to try to visit them a couple more times to see if we can't find them anywhere.

Margarita: To be blatantly honest, I have no idea who this lady is. We found her on interchanges, so I was in La Gloria and I have no idea what happened with her. All I know is that she didn't come to church.

That's it for now. We're sitting on nearly nothing again. TIME TO GET SOME FINDING DONE!

COOL JANK

1.) I went to La Gloria on interchanges and GUESS WHAT I FOUND. Grandma and Grandpa are hiding out in some building I guess. I found the vans. That's right. AH FOUND THEM VAINS. I'm so sneaky.

2.) I found a paleta cart and took some pictures, and for 8 pesos, bought quite possibly the most delicious paleta on the planet. Quite the buy.

3.) I RODE BY THE TOOLSHED WHERE I CAME DOWN BEFORE!

So, when I came down with Grandpa a few years back to work on a house, I remembered very vividly a lot of what I saw, and this week, since I was in La Gloria, I saw those places! I saw the tool shop where we went all the time, and I saw the OXXO that we passed. I looked for the house we built and I saw around 2 or 3 that looked like they COULD have been the one we made. Anyway, it was a trip down memory lane. I wanted to take a picture but I was in a Calafia (little mini bus) so I couldn't do it. But it was pretty unreal.

4.) The President made the announcement this week that we now can tract in this mission. Apparently he's just absolutely desperate for baptisms, so he's made tracting a thing again. We can't just plan for one hour to tract, but if everything falls through, we can tract. It's been just like I thought: Rejection. But whatever, just keep on trucking. Someone's got to let us in one day.

5.) Nothing really cool to report other than I might have to give shots to my companion because it looks like he's sick with an infection just like I had a couple months ago in Matamoros.

6.) I was an IT guy this week! I went around probably 3 or 4 hours almost every other day to work on computers for members. I worked on Angela's computer, then on another member's, and then on the computer of Jesus. I had to fight viruses, rearrange and change cables, delete programs, install K-9 Web Protection, and listen to a bunch of BIOS beep codes and uninstall and reinstall RAM.

I felt so happy. It was super fun for me. I mean, it looks so boring to some people, but I just absolutely love working on Computers. It's just something super fun to me. The best part is the end result where I turn on the computer and EVERYTHING works fine again. I feel so accomplished! Elder Rose says that life just makes sense to him when he Rock Climbs, and for me, life just makes sense when I fix computers. It was super fun. I was fielding calls too. Like, someone called me while I was en route to fix another computer. I loved it.

Alright, other than that, this week was really uneventful. Thanks for the support and love. Keep praying for me. I need it.

Love you all!

Elder Carter

MOOCOW. (Taught that to a member a few days ago. It was hilarious to hear how they pronounced it.)

Tough Luck

It's been a week that felt like it was a month. Pretty darn rough.

INVESTIGATORS

Alejandra and Jesus: They are a couple who we have started to teach independently, but we're planning on teaching them together this week. They are both really cool, but they aren't married. Luckily, there are collective weddings for 1 peso on 14 of February. We're just gonna push to get them married so that they can be baptized on the 28th. They're our only hope right now.

We actually have quite a bit of people that we have taught the first lesson, but never find them again, so when we start teaching them again, I'll put them on here. For now, they are the only two.

EXPERIENCES

1.) I've become the computer technician for a family. We showed up at their house and the girl there told me that her computer stopped working. I asked to see it and turned it on. It turned on, but never got anywhere, it just beeped. I had seen the problem before, because I knew it happened when something with the processor wasn't working, and I just assumed it was because the computer was dirty inside. So we bought some compressed air and I took the computer apart and blew out the dust and stuff and the computer turned back on! I was pretty happy. I felt like I was back at home again.

2.) Along with that, my companion took the compressed air, turned it upside down and then sprayed me on the arm. IT HURT SO BAD.

It honestly was one of the most painful things that had happened to me up until now, really. It left a big red circle on my arm for about 3 days. It was terrible. My companion sprayed himself too, so we're even... haha

3.) My companion is just so awesome. Let me explain a little:

So, the Branch President's wife really doesn't like me. I just don't know what I did, but she doesn't like me. I mean, she treats me fine and stuff, but she says some things right to my face and to my companions that are just WAY out of line. For example:

"Elder, you have to respect your leaders. If you don't respect your leaders, your life will be terrible."

"Hey, you need to respect your companion. If you don't respect your companion, you're never going to get married."

Just stuff like that. Really, she has no right to say any of this stuff.

So, basically, one day, she just started TEARING into me by talking to my companion. She, in essence, said this:

"Elder Rose, I can see there are a lot of things about this companionship just by watching you two. Like, I can see that you are more obedient that your companion. He doesn't want to obey, he just wants to do everything the way he wants it. I can also see that he doesn't like being on the mission, but instead just wants to have fun."

I was floored. I couldn't believe she was saying this stuff. AND I WAS 3 FEET AWAY FROM HER.

Anyway, I just took it. I didn't want to say anything, just be humble and accept that she is just some crazy lady. Then the coolest thing in the world happened:

"Hey, sister, listen, you've got it all wrong. Elder Carter is the obedient one in the companionship."

The silence was so thick it was palpable. Her face just showed utter amazement.

"What? What do you mean?"

"Seriously, sister. He's the most obedient companion I have had in a long time."

"But he goes alone with other members while he's at church!"

"The rules allow that, hermana."

"But!"

"He's even more loving than any other companion I've ever had."

At this, the sister just changed her topic and said, "YOU KNOW WHAT? I really like how you defend your companion."

At that, I just felt so relieved and I couldn't stop thanking my companion.

4.) ANother cool thing. I was talking with my companion about how I felt bad about not doing certain things, and how I just felt like I wasn't even trying on my mission, and then my comp told me this:

"Look man, you are the most charitable and humble missionary I've ever met. I've never had a companion that irons my shirt for me, and I've never had a companion that just tries to serve me. You are going to be a great father and husband, and that's the one thing I wish I could do."

It just floored me again. I couldn't believe it. And he meant it too. That really helped me out a bunch.

5.) Tender mercy time!

Back when I was in Postal, I was trying to find new people to teach for my last week, and I got a reference, contacted the guy, and taught his whole family. They were AWESOME.

I left before I could do anything more. I left the family for the next guy, and I found out later that they were baptized! That was cool.

Well, just recently one of the members of that ward talked to me and said that there was a sealing.

THE FAMILY WE FOUND WAS SEALED!

That just made me SO happy! I mean, not because I took credit for finding them, but because they got that blessing! Sealed together! Talk about a tender mercy! It was awesome!

I didn't take pictures this week because I forgot to bring my camera with me. Sorry.

Thanks for all the support you offer me. Thanks for the prayers and thanks for the emails. I love it.

Have a good week everyone. See you all later.

Elder Carter

NAC

That's right, North American Companero!

INVESTIGATORS

I have some incredibly sad news, everyone. We lost Alfonzo. We couldn't get in contact with him at all this week. We probably went by at LEAST 25 times this week and we just didn't find him. Sent messages, called him, and nothing. He's gone. Thanks for your prayers in his behalf. It helped him. We sowed the seeds.

Alejandra: She's an investigator that's been pretty cool so far. She's promising, and I think we can get her going with just a little more pushing. She's just barely starting to investigate, so we're trying to get her to read and pray. We're going to work with her a lot this week.

Enrique: Not too sure on this guy. He's your standard deported person here. Just kinda never really honest about anything he does and never keeps his commitments. Says he likes the church and wants to be baptized but never does anything about it. We're probably going to drop him.

Mares Family: Family of 5 that we found that seems just SUPER awesome, but when it came time to come to church, there was a bunch of mud. Everyone here just looks for the SMALLEST reason not to go to church, and so with all the mud, they just said no because "it's too dangerous" (not really. Just no one likes going to church apparently.) We're going to be working with them a bit more this week as well.

EXPERIENCES

Like the new formatting? it's pretty good isn't it?

1.) We showed up at a house this week and the member came out to greet us, and this is what she said:

"You guys bring a very strong Spirit. I feel it very strongly with you both. You are going to do many good things for this branch."

Awesome companion.

2.) We ate AMERICAN FOOD. There's this new convert here named Jason that's awesome. He's really just kinda clueless as to missionaries and the church and stuff, but he's really laid back and super nice. Anyway, we ate at his house one day and we had homemade fried chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy and corn. It was so American. I loved it. Tasted like heaven.

3.) We found this house that was just completely twisted. I posed to make it look like I was carried up with it in the tornado.

4.) I took some pictures of the scenery around here. I just can't get enough of it. It's so gorgeous.

5.) My companion took my camera to take a picture and he took a selfie like that. You can't see him very well, I know, but that's him. Elder Rose. What a weirdy.

6.) I gotta say, having a North American Companion is the best. Honestly. We can talk about everything in English. It's SO awesome. We talk about the church here in Mexico, the differences from the church in the US, comedians, and a slew of other subjects that are just so awesome. With Mexican companions, I felt like I had to talk more simply, and I couldn't discuss profound ideas with them, and with Elder Rose, I feel like I'm just talking about everything with him. We have the same views on a lot of things. Also, we can make jokes about stuff in the US and it's hilarious. You can't joke about stuff with Uncle Sam or Lady Liberty with Mexicans. Not even the ones that have lived there.

Overall, it's been an awesome week. Just not much success in terms of numbers.

Thanks for the support and prayers in my behalf. It helps a lot.

Lots of love from Primo Tapia!

Elder Carter

Transfers!

HOLY CRUD! WE'RE GOING TO DO SO WELL.

I got a new companion. His name is Elder R. I'm in the same place, so we're just gonna get stuff done right now.

Investigators:

Brother A: He came to church! Very short period of time, but NEVERTHELESS HE CAME. Therefore, his baptismal date of is still a go. We're just praying now that he can get over his need to smoke, because he hasn't smoked all week (THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRAYERS IN HIS BEHALF)

We're sitting on nothing more right now, but we're going to get A TON this next week.

1.) Transfers happened! I got put with Elder R. He's from Utah. I don't know THAT Much about him, but I do know he was in the military for a time. He's got around 11 months in the mission, and he's been a good friend of mine since the office days, so I'm just stoked to be with him. Elder F went to Mexicali. I'm still Junior companion, but I'm super stoked anyway.

2.) I said "judios verdes" a couple days ago. Now I understand, dad, why that sounded so weird to you. I said that for the first time and almost kicked myself mentally in the head. It was funny.

3.) There's a North American convert named Brother J that's SUPER cool! He gives us food and is willing to do anything to help us out. He's super kind, and the coolest thing: He wants to take me to the temple with him.

I dunno if I can go. I'd absolutely relish the chance, really. We'll see how it goes.

4.) I got pictures of people! And a dog that followed us around all day once! I named him Simba II. Sadly, I no longer know where he is.

The people in the picture are the brothers and sister of Angela, the girl you guys met in the video call. They're super cool, but don't live with her, so.... yeah. I got pictures before they left.

My companion and I have plans to just do a bunch of work here. We're going to do the very best we can to make this branch a ward. Who knows what's going to happen after, but it's going to be an awesome transfer. We're gonna get to work.

Thanks for everything, family, and I'll keep you all posted on what's going on here!

Have a time!

Elder Carter

Pictures

Here are a bunch of pictures that Coby sent us this week.