NO HABLAR ENGLISH!

So this week we had a lot of people speaking English in their house, and then opening the door and saying "No hablar english" with a PERFECT ENGLISH ACCENT. It was frusterating. Some cool stuff did happen this week in regards to the ward though! We went on exchanges with the Spanish Elders and I got to practice my spanish. All 2 words that I know! It was great, I went with Elder Gevas, he is a goofball! We had dinner with a spanish family and we made Papusa with them! :) It was basically the greatest thing ever, Papusa is probably one of my favorite spanish foods. Its from El Salvador so they get mad at me if I say mexican food. 

I gave a talk in Sacrament meeting yesterday. It went pretty well I guess, there was a missionary who came home and talked forever!!!!!!!!!!! I was like Oh my gosh you are so boring. All of his friends came to the church and that is where I figured out that you arent supposed to do that anymore. I only talked for like 5 minutes but I think I got the message across! The whole meeting was about the work. Somerset Ward has really stepped it up! Im so happy that Im hear to watch it happen! Nothing else super excited happened this week other than an urgent care trip, but that was no big deal I just keep dislocating both my shoulders. Love you all!

 

Elder Carper

EQUALITY BRO!!!

 

 

This picture is of my exchange with Elder Peidl (Pie-dell) on tuesday. You know your in Lancaster when you see "Youngblood Place." The other Picture is of me and a big mural after a few african american Women yelled at us for "Hating blacks and gays" We took the pictures to prove we dont hate anyone...and cause it was super funny.

 

Ok for real there has been SO MUCH that has happened this week its insane! At first the week was terrible cause I have had Anti-Mormon stuff thrown at me almost every single day. From RLDS finatics to excommunicated members to Penticostal Ministers. For real it was insanely hard to deal with. The Penticostal minister was literally Saturday night at 8pm after a really long day of just hard work. We have been really really pushing to acheive the goals that Elder Hernandez and I set for ourselves so this week has been full of the Lord testing our diligence and faith. I had to repent after the Penticostal Minister because I was so done with just taking abuse and harsh words from people about the church, so I threw down with him hardcore. He kept trying to get Elder Hernandez riled up and that was when I kinda lost it on him. Turns out Im a lot better with the scriptures than I thought I did! 

My week got super awesome Yesterday when Elder Bruce A. Carlson of the Seventy came and spoke to our mission. There was a lot of things that I know I definitely needed to hear. He gave a lot of advice to missionaries who are going home within 6 months. Talking about how to stay close to the Lord after the missions. It really was a super spiritual experience! It was like 8 hours long! After the meeting President Wilson caught up with me as everyone was leaving and we just started talking about the ward and about our investigators. He told me to turn Somerset ward into a baptizing ward. We honestly talked for like 30 minutes about it, as well as just small talk about how he met his wife and stuff. He also gave me some pretty awesome marriage advice. All he said was to make sure that I marry someone with the same goals as me, bottom line. It was awesome!

 

I got my flight itinerary today....they told me I land in SLC at 10:31am September 2. That was NOT a fun email to read! I guess its good cause I have a pretty solid sense of urgency to do everything I can before then. We will see how it goes!

 

 

Love you all! 

Elder Carper

Happy Mother's Day

This week was a good week to be in Somerset! The ward is super anxious to find people for us to teach. Its been really cool to see the change in the wards of the mission and the people that live in them. When I first came to the mission, it was a dream to get a member refferal and now even though they dont happen often. The Wards are really trying their best which is a miracle!

We found a few new investigators this week named Roxanne and Milly. Roxanne already wants to be baptized and is really excited. We are working with Milly (Roxannes Mom) to try and help her understand why this is the only true and living church on the earth. Once we help her recognize the spirit I have no doubts that she will be baptized!

I hope all of you wished your Mothers a Happy Mother's Day! They definitely deserve it and more! I have a testimony that the Lord knows his children and provides the best ways possible for them to return to him. He loves and knows us and wants us to draw closer to him so that he can come closer to us. Love you all!

Elder Carper

Good Week

This is gonna be a super quick one cause we dont have much time! This week was super quick to go by! As far as the work goes everything is switched. People are coming to church all of the time but they dont want to be baptized. Its super wierd! I dont really know what to do about it all but i guess what happens happens! My toes are doing a ton better, I can finally walk without any pain in them. That was pretty darn exciting!
We went on exchanges with the zone leaders this week. It was a lot of fun, I would say that it was super proffesional and for training purposes but in all reality, Elder Leortscher and I just wanted to be companions for a day haha. It was a ton of fun though, probably the best exchange I have had my whole mission. Too bad we werent ever companions, we would have baptized our whole area! I forgot how easy teaching was when your companions know the lessons just as well or better than I do. I haven't had a experienced companion since Lone Pine. So it was super fun!

Anyways this week we will be tracting a ton! We wanna find like 50 people this week and it will happen!!!!!
Have an awesome week everyone!

Its been a million years since I sent pictures so I took a quick one

 Elder Carper


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The Green Paper

This week was not a highlight. Actually it was pretty darn fun but I got the stupid green paper! Its a form that the soon-to-be departing missionaries fill out so that the mission can send us our flight itineraries. I super NOT stoked for that day when I know the time I will land in Salt Lake. I also got a parking ticket from a street sweeper. It was so dumb the sign said that it was like the 2nd and 4th wednesday of the month between like noon and 3pm. WE WERE HELPING THIS OLD COUPLE CLEAN THEIR HOUSE!! The adversary is rude. It wasnt a expensive ticket but it sure was annoying! 

 

The good parts of this week was that miracles are happening in our area! The members finally trust the missionaries again and are giving us referals. We are eating dinner with several families this week that they invited their friends to be taught by us afterwards. This has never happened in Somerset before! Its so awesome! We have done a lot of service this week too. From cleaning houses to yard work to building swing sets. We are getting it done. 

 

Transfers were this past week and I am staying with Elder Hernandez. Im pretty happy, honestly i am hoping I finish my mission here! having my last area as a 6 month would be sweet! We will see what the Lord has in store though! 

Right now we are teaching a few cool families. The Hernandez family is a part member. They are so amazing! They dont have a date anymore because they all got super sick and missed church for a few weeks. My favorite family is MaryAnn and her kids. They are so very special, and her daughter is actually a member. The ward loves them, our only sad issue is that she wont commit to a date because she feels like she needs to be perfect in order to be baptized. So we will see how it goes! 

 

Love you all!

 

Elder Carper

Week of Miracles

This week was really great! Conference was a huge uplifting experience for me! My favorite talk was Elder Eyring's in the Saturday Morning session. Fasting has been a huge focus for us as a companionship and as a mission. The entire mission will be fasting next week, members and missionaries. It will be HUGE! Our mission has had an average of a bout 30 baptisms per month. I'm pretty sure its the lowest in the country...but we have a goal of 75 baptisms in the month of June. The highest we have ever had was 48. So we are gonna need help! Its exciting though for sure! We found a few new investigators this week, and so its pretty great! We are working super hard trying to find people! I know this email is short but we don't have very much time to email anymore! Love you all!

Why can't we wear toe rings?

Cool fun event of the week is that we get mirrors. The mission is buying full length mirrors for all the Sisters so that they can make sure they are modest, and one of the Elders asked if we could have some as well. So long story short, we all get full length mirrors! Our mission is surely advancing in the technology! 

 

We have been working with so many members this week. President emailed me last week saying that I was sent here because I have so many creative finding ideas. I assume he is talking about how we would play soccer with a bunch of spanish guys like twice a week in my last area. We found a lot of people that way though. So essentially what we have done is we have been working with tons of members. When I came into the area they were only teaching 1 investigator. So things are definitely progressing! Elder Hernandez' trainer was not a very obedient missionary, so I do 12 week with him sometimes during comp study. He is a really good Elder but he is behind as far as knowing what to do. We have so much fun though! The members really like us which is a good start, but they are used to missionaries that just hang out at their house for hours. So we definitely have work to do! 

 

We had a mini zone conference last tuesday and President Wilson set apart like 30 minutes for a Q 'n A. It was pretty cool, he had never done that before. One of the questions that were asked BY AN ELDER was "Why cant we wear toe rings?" President was just like "Uh....what?" It was pretty funny, the missionaries new nickname (not my idea) is Elder Nicodemus. Nicodemus was a pharisee who is charged with asking the dumbest question in the history of ever. " 4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?

 

Thats my fun spiritual thought for the week! Not really though, but one of the really cool things I found in the scriptures is in 1 John 4 6-11. I love that it tells us that we love God because he loved us first. He truly does love us! 

 

Love you all, have a great week!

 

Elder Carper