Oildale

 

Hahahahahahahaha Oildale is sooooo ghetto! I would send pictures but its probably best to show everyone after I'm not here anymore! 

We have been working so hard it isn't even cool. Actually it is way cool! We have had to do so much non-proselyting related stuff its stupid. Missionaries are super needy! They always wait until the last minute to call us and by then they really need whatever they are asking for and so we have to drop everything and drive 45 minutes to get them what they need to keep proselyting and then we hightail it back to our area to try and keep our area progressing and find more people and then someone else does the same thing. Its so frustrating but Elder Burke says that's how it is being a zone leader. I'm glad I don't have to do this for very long!

 

This week was so good for us! We found like 10 new investigators this week that are all like way crazy solid! Our goal is to get a baptism this transfer and so we are pretty decently on track to get that done! We went on exchanges with the assistants on Friday. It was honestly so much fun! We stayed at the assistants house which was so much fun. We wrestled as a companionship and Elder Burke and I got our butts kicked cause one of the Elders was the Utah 180lb state champ. So ya it wasnt much of a fight! I learned a lot from Elder Crandall who is from Sandy UT. I have always been good at talking to people and being really bold but he is just so good at making people feel loved. So that was something I took back to our area and am working on! Its really hard when we run into people that go to the Valley Baptist church that is right next to the Stake Center. There is a HUGE rivalry between the two and the Elders usually get the brunt of it. Its ok though because Im going to love these people no matter what! Especially when they throw out a scripture that says we are saved by grace and not works and that Mormons are a cult. LOVE THEM :) :) 

Probably the coolest part of Meadows Ward is the fact that both the Senior missionary couple in our mission live in the same complex as us. They are literally my favorite people in California! They will do anything we ask them to do and then give us the best life advice. It feels like I have 2 sets of Grandparents over here in Bakersfield! Miracles on Miracles!

Bottom line is the church is true. Cali Bakes mission rocks. Pitbulls are rude. Drugs ruin lives. Book of Mormon saves them. Oildale is ghetto. President Wilson is the Bomb. Davis High sucks. My companion is hilarious. California is great!

Elder Carper

Birthday was Awesome!

I am tired beyond all belief. Elder Burke and I are lucky if we get to bed before 1130. We have so much to do! Not only did we wash in but the other Elders didnt leave us with anything so we have been crazy busy. Our zone had 3 sets of missionaries white wash and there are 4 new missionaries. So we have been running frantic trying to get everyone the supplies they need and still have enough time to find people for our area. Its been a struggle but boy is it fun! I love our zone though it is such a blessing to be here! All of the missionaries are super hard working and super good at missionary work! We are pretty much the best zone in the mission without a doubt! 

My Birthday on Saturday was awesome! The Sheltons who are a senior missionary couple in bakersfield (Mom she was the president of the Utah board of Counselors 4 years ago you know her?) mission took us out to Dickies for my Birthday! Best BBQ in Bakersfield! It was a super hard day to be honest but I felt good about it because what better way to spend your birthday than sharing the gospel with everyone you see? Thats how I view it at least! 

We have had some crazy good lessons with our 1 investigator and a recent convert. The Sheltons came and taught with us! They went bragging to President Wilson about how awesome teachers we were and how impressed she was. Its my goal for President to make Elder Burke an assistant so Im getting some brownie points and passing it on for him! 

Sorry for the short email but this is a great week! The pictures are some of my great friends that have finished their missions! Elder Ripa, me and Elder Easter!

 

 

Last Transfer

This week has been SOOOO GOOOD!! Actually it kinda stunk towards the end but the cool parts were totally overpowering the lame ones! 

Last Tuesday we had to steal the 1st ward Elders truck and drive a couple hours down to Lancaster to a dentist appointment. The guy cleaned my teeth and did my check up for freaking free!! I was like "I have insurance and my parents said to send them the bill" but Brother Powell was like nah, we dont charge missionaries! Members are freaking awesome! 

We had to close our apartment. THIS IS THE FIFTH TIME I HAVE DONE THIS!!! Mom you better love me cause you can bet I now know how to clean stuff! It rhymes with Mr. Clean magic erasers ;) Seriously those things are gold! So we have been trying to clean and close our apartment while still going to lessons and trying to find investigators. We had a super good lesson with Kayla and Jason, they are like the coolest couple ever and NEED TO BE MORMON! For real I love them! 

We got transfer calls and both Elder Hunsaker and I are leaving. Our mission is getting downsized super bad and so the STL's are taking over our area and keeping theirs. I trust them though for sure. Sister Gonzalez is one of the best missionaries in the mission so things will be algood!

So Elder Hunsaker is going to East Bakersfield and for my last transfer I am going to North Bakersfield. Im whitewashing again for the 7th time!!! Im not even worried though, President Wilson called me last wednesday and asked me to serve and finish out my mission as a Zone Leader. So things are gonna be great this next transfer! I couldnt imagine a better way to end it! 

Its so crazy how much a mission changes lives! My own life will never be the same and I am SO eternally grateful for it! Im honestly just happy the Lord let me serve, I have gotten so much more out of my mission than I can ever repay. Its such a blessing! AH I LOVE THE MISSION!

Elder Carper

The Temple is the Best!

So its still hot....I think it was 110 yesterday. The best parts of the week were by far the temple! The entire East side of the mission got to go down to the LA temple on Tuesday. It was way flippin sweet! The Howe family from Lone Pine took us down there. It was way sick on the way home we ate at a barbecue place with the BEST sandwiches EVER! We got back in time to teach our Book of Mormon class luckily so it all worked out!

We have been knocking doors like crazy cause I want to be absolutely sick of it by the time August ends! There are a lot of interesting people in Ridgecrest, could go both ways of good or bad haha! We have also been doing a ton of service! We worked in a soup kitchen all day with the Sisters and the 1st ward Elders. It was pretty fun cause we brought hats and the Sisters had to wear these super weird looking nets. Service is basically the best thing ever cause you get to see all of the awesome reactions from people! They really do appreciate it! :)

Its been really cool this week because I have been study Charity almost exclusively and it has been really beneficial! I have learned a lot about what Christlike love is and a lot about how much we have to rely on the Savior for that love. Its probably my favorite attribut I have studied! Anyways thanks for all of your support! Love you guys!

Elder Carper

 

 

Scavenger Hunt and Miracles

Dang this week has FLOWN by so fast! We had a Zone Conference on Tuesday. It was my last one....ya Im not stoked about it! We talked a lot about being a truly consecrated missionary. President Wilson told us that there is only one or two truly consecrated missionaries in the mission, I was really surprised at it. So that is my official goal by the end of my mission. I feel like I am a pretty good missionary, and when things are going good I start thinking that Im pretty great at it but never in my mission have I been truly consecrated. So I was really pondering that this week and praying on what I can do to finish the strongest possible and that was what I think was the deciding factor and an answer to my prayers. Proof that President Wilson is inspired!!!

We went on splits with our Elders quorum and I went with my buddy Michael Hannafin, he is way cool and leaves on his mission in like 2 days. We were really in the right place at the right time and got to talk to a lot of people! One lady in particular really needed our help. It was one of those moments when I am teaching a Gospel principle that I have never thought about and realized that I was not only receiving revelation on what she needed, but what I needed as well. I LOVE those moments!!! This week we really hae had some miracles flowing! We committed to inviting all of our investigators to be baptized on the first lesson and it has been really great! One of our investigators Lana was set with a date for August 22 and we have a lesson with a family of five later this week! I couldnt be happier with how things are going in our area! Well...maybe if the weather went below 107...wishful thinking! I cant even get over it cause the mission is so flippin awesome! :)

Here are some pictures from our P-day Scavenger hunt! The memory is too big to email all of em in one email so bear with me! 

Oh, I rode a train!

Love you all!

Elder Carper

 

 

IT'S SO HOT!

So this week the weather didn't get below 105. IT WAS SO HOT!! Im pretty sure I almost died a couple times. 

This week has been so good for the work! Oh by the way I got transfered....anyways! My new comp is Elder Hunsaker, he is an interesting kid but we are having fun getting it done! We have found a bunch of new investigators and been talking to tons and tons of people! Which is awesome because this ward hasnt seen a baptism in several months! So hopefully we can change that! We are working with Lady named Lana who is doing super good! She is one of the coolest people ever and is really trying to be a good Mom for her newborn son.

I also got to go on exchanges on Friday with my boy Elder Marrott! It was way sick we went out to a place called Trona. It literally is like the most miserable place I have ever seen. It was 119 outside and the entire valley smelled like sulfur from the huge mine. Grass doesnt grow there, its home to the only dirt high school football field in the country. "The hills have eyes" movies were all filmed there....seriously it was nuts!

The ward here is super awesome, they are literally doing anything we ask them to do. They definitely deserve good missionaries! We knocked a lot of doors this week, thats honestly all I really want to do. Cause even after a mission I can still teach lessons with the missionaries but how often will I ever get to go knock on peoples doors and get yelled at and stuff? So Im doing it as much as possible! This weeks been way good! Love you all!

Elder Carper

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