November 30, 2010 - Letter Home

Connected

Heylow Evabodey! (<- Brasilian accent) 

Man, I am teaching Elder Correia how to speak English and it's SO funny. I mean, poor guy, he's really trying, and I've felt what it's like to be in his shoes so I shouldn't laugh but there's been a couple language study sessions that I've just busted up. English is already pretty hard for the paulistas (people from Sao Paulo) but it's a bit more difficult for Elder Correia who is from WAY up north in Sao Luiz, Maraniao where they don't pronounce their R's or speak hard D's or T's. Hehehe.

Elder Correia is awesome. Poor guy. He tries so hard, and I he is still totally believing me when I told him at the bus station that our area baptizes the most and that it's a pretty easy area. I was trying to psyche him up, but man, this transfer has been SUPER hard and while I need to have faith, it's looking like we're not going to baptize this transfer (no one went to church for the ENTIRE transfer until now!) Man, pretty tough. I'm feeling really connected to what Brendon is going through, only maybe a little more mental and emotional than physical. We hit doors the first 2 weeks straight and built up a good teaching group but it looks like nobody is progressing and we need to start over again. That's pretty discouraging, but it needs to happen. 

But, I am staying optimistic. Going to the temple last P-day helped a lot. 

Elder Correia commented to me that after the temple, nothing really changed and we didn't have any big revelations, but we felt a lot more peace and closer to Heavenly Father, that he was with us and knew what we were going through. Really great feeling. I also got my hands on the Conference Liahona and am LOVING it so much. Stuff that I heard a month ago and didn't really apply to me at the time is REALLY coming in handy now. Man, what a great testimony builder it is that we have a living prophet and apostles when you up the Liahona and have a direct connection to President Monson speaking exactly to you from the pages and tell you what you need to change and focus on. President Monson's and Holland's talk on thanksgiving, Dieter's two talks, Christofferson's talk on consecration, Anderson's on repentance and Gong's on eternal perspective have been my highlights. But there's so many other that I love! I think you guys will see that I do not fall asleep during conference when I come home. October 2011 will be like my Superbowl weekend! How awesome it is that we have such a huge group of incredibly incredibly wise and spiritual and loving men at the head of Christ's church.

While it's been hard to look forward in the last week, it's been AWESOME to look back. Cristielle and Tanara are well integrated in the ward, the members are helping her a lot, and she is making end's meet by cleaning member's homes until she can find some steady work. Despite the difficulties, she is happy, and what may have been the best expierence so far on the mission is when she expressed her testimony to me and how Jesus Christ was helping her along in her struggles. Sunday we were running running running around trying to wake people up and get them to church and absolutely not having any luck, and we were walking back in defeat when we saw Pamela and Dylan, all dressed up with scriptures in their hands, walking to church on time. I saw Dylan pass the sacrament. Man, what a great, great feeling. God really sent me them to pick me up at that moment. My mission is worth it because of them and I am so happy to be connected to each one of them for now and for eternity. :)

ANYWAY, I hope that you all enjoyed Thanksgiving and were able to feel peace and comfort at the funeral this week. So awesome that the whole family was there to see Jamie off. I was thinking about her in the temple after hearing the news and as I was sitting in the celestial room, I felt a great peace and an excitement for her. It will be hard without her, especially for her family, but I know we're not entirely disconnected from her, and that all things have happened with a purpose.

I love you guys so much and I am so glad for your constant words of love, advice, comfort, and encouragement. I am so grateful for your prayers. I am so thankful that our family has and will stay connected over land, sea, and time, until even in life and death. What a great promise. I am so thankful that as we are connected together, so is Jesus Christ always connected to us all, is always a part of our family, and we will never be alone or without Him. Isn't that the most important thing of all? What would our family be without Him? I am so

thankful for all of you, for Him, and I know that He lives, and I am thankful to serve him here in Porto Alegre.

I love love love you all so much! Have a great week!

Your Con,

Elder Carpenter

P.S. I only remembered that it was Thanksgiving like, 15 minutes before I went to sleep that night, so I made myself a peice of toast with condensed milk and a glass of milk and I imagined that I was with all of you. Your time it was about 6:15 so I think maybe we were all at least eating and thinking of eachother at the same time. IT'S NOT SO DEPRESSING!!! :D

I really liked Elder Gong's talk about Temple Mirrors in the last conference ensign. Read it! It's great. And it applies to us! How great is eternity together

with your family!

Keep fighting every day! Be strong and have courage!