Thanksgiving Excitement: YAY

Cheers for all of the lovely Thanksgiving gratitude notes! haha I love you all and I am SO blessed to have such a fab family!! Glad that you got to spend it like we did as kids, how fun! and sorry i couldn't be there.. well sorry not sorry haha ;)

This week has been crayzay, but very good! gotcha a few stories, get ready!

After District meeting in Blackburn, we had exchanges in Rossendale Valley.... oh my days, so beautiful!! Wow! But those rolling hills give ya a work out, I'll tell you what! But it was so fun, I was with Sister Tamayo, love her, my little hispanic kick for the week! bueno. So yes, we get there and drop my stuff at the flat, and it smells kinda funny, so I go, "hmm what's that smell?" she proceeds to tell me that they have a little furry friend that lives in their flat, and you all know how much i love mice... so much not! But I was like... mkay yes, that is gross, but she helped me to feel better about it by saying that we sleep on the couches, so no worries........... HAHA!! I love sis T! no, but that was ok, we went out and did some finding, and bless her, she is SO enthusiastic! that is one of the main things I learned actually, is to SHOW others how much I love this work! we would knock on a door, and before she even saw the person, she would go, "HALLO SIRR!!! HOW ARE YOUUU?!!" and without fail the person would smile and say "wow, good! yallright??" and then we would have a lovely conversation.. most of the time? haha no it was great though! As we were heading home for the night, we were waiting for the bus.. oh how I love the buses in small towns! I had forgotten, but this bus was super late. We were standing there, and there were a few other women waiting there as well. Then Sis T goes, "oh no, sister carter, I just saw some chavs (kinda like street kids) peaking out from that alley, they are planning something, just be aware, they are gunna do something.." i was just like.... aw no where is this bus? but we kept waiting and chatting and then smack! something really hard hits the bus stop behind us! we look down and see that it was a snow ball made out of old hail from last week, aka ice ball... and then look up to see the chavs peaking out from behind the building across the street! ohhhhh noooo... WHERE IS THE BUSSS!!!??? Sis. T goes "TRY AGAIN!" she is NOT happy, and I am freaking out, and at the top of the hill i see the bus, but it is not coming fast enough, she is shouting at them to try again... and then they do! and They are throwing snow balls at us, and the ladies at the stop are probably more shocked than us, and I am giving them a death glare when I look over, and there's the bus! oops! lets not get hit! but Sis T goes, "TRY AGAIN AND WE'LL CALL THE POLICE!!!" yeahhhhhh..... but then we get home, and I am trying to sleep in this lovely flat, and I have layered up, covering every part of my body because that mouse/rat will NOT touch me! and I wake up because I am SOOOO hot in the middle of the night... and I can't fall back asleep because I am thinking i hear noises of the rat (my imagination is really good)... dahhh! my gratitude for living in Chorley was greatly improved in just those few hours!! Such good timing for Thanksgiving!

Needless to say, I got back and told Sister Popa sorry for my post exchange coma.... hah! 

Thanksgiving was so wonderful! It was unlike I have ever had, and that I probably will ever have. We forgot to write on our tea calendar that it was thanksgiving on Thursday, and the member signed up a long time ago probably without even realizing it, and we didn't feel comfortable telling them it was Thanksgiving, so we go, and had a feast of rice and Chilli con carne! yummmm! haha it was lovely, and their family is so sweet! they actually remind me of you lot! We were invited by a less active to come over and have a lesson, and she surprised us with a little gift for Thanksgiving, and some sweets and snacks for us <3 so sweet! haha Best part though, was after planning, Sister Popa and I had Banoffee Pie and listened to Rock of ages on repeat!! haha such a happy moment. I love moments like this. Life is so full of them, and I have been pondering a lot lately on how blessed I truly am. I am so grateful for the MANY MANY moments that I have had in my life. I am so grateful for where I am right now, for love that I feel for and from those around me. I am grateful for all that I have learned, and will learn. We are so blessed huh??

We woke up Friday, and were once again in a coma, but this time it was a sugar coma. We were trying so hard to do jumping jacks, but wow, it has never been such a struggle! haha we were shattered! Soooo exhausted! blah! but we still found some new investigators, and saw Jason!!

Yay for Jason!! We saw him basically every day this week, taught him all of the commandments, and He is on track to be baptised on Saturday! Yayyay!! We had a bit of a scare though yesterday when he didn't show up to church with his mom, but we got a text saying that she was ill and had a migraine and hadn't been able to get the door or the phone that morning. We were both saying though, we had to have some sort of opposition, no surprise. But it's all good! Keep praying though that He'll make it!

We are sooooooo excited though!!! Now it is time to ring in the Christmas season!! The Christmas initiative is SO incredible! #LIGHT THE WORLD!! yay!! we are working with 2 families in the wards on it, and yes! I was going to invite you all to do the 25 ways in 25 days advent calendar, but yous are so on top of things, nice one! haha 

Keep praying for us, that we can continue to see success :)

I am so grateful for you all, and love each one of you! Less than one month to Christmas!!! Woot woot!!

Love you all

Sister Carter 

Rock of Ages, cleft for me... decorate the (thanksgiving) tree!!!

Happy Thanksgiving to all the world! I don't even care that they don't celebrate it here, or that Saturday was lighting the Chorley Christmas lights, we are SO EXCITED!!!! I am so incredibly grateful for this time that I have to be a missionary and to share this message of just how truly blessed we all are to live at this time when the Gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored to the earth. What better way to spend this Holiday? trick question, there is none! haha 

This week has been a bit of an emotional roller coaster. I am so blessed to have a supportive and hilarious companion who helps us through whatever is thrown our way. Plus it has been SUUUPER cold, time to whip out them thermals... #firsttimeservinginnorthzones

Jason, our sweet nine year old investigator, is dated to be baptised on the 3rd!! YAYAYAYAYYYY we are soooo stinking excited! We will be seeing him basically every day this week, but if you all could keep praying for him and his family, that would be greatly appreciated! But yes, he came to church yesterday for the third time, and he seemed right at home, skipping off to primary, so cute!! And his mom, Mandy, who we are helping to re activate, is the BEST, we love her. She is so supportive! blessings :)

We have had lots of appointments fall through, and had some investigators drop us yesterday, but i have gotten to this wonderful point in my mission where the opposition excites me! haha I am like, yeahhhh, we are definitely about to have miracles! Get ready haha it's so true though, and Chorley is about to get really Christmas-y, and that is the best thing ever! We have the Festival of Nativities coming up, and the Carol choir thing. it is so great to be here at Christmas time, because a lot of the festivities of the season happen here, cuz we are by the temple, yay! gotta have a balance is what i am trying to say :)

There has been hale every day. Not snow, but hale, and it builds up and makes everything white and beautiful like snow, but it still hurts on the way down!! haha so bizarre! But England has this talent of having all 4 seasons in one day, so it's fab, no worries! 

We got KFC on Friday, all of the billboard advertise this super yummy looking double stacker chicken burger, and i have been craving it like crazy since man south, and we FINALLY got it!! And it was amazing! But it had been so long since I had eaten fast food that I got super jittery! I couldn't control myself! haha

Funny quotes from this week (most happened during our tracting adventures in Buckshaw) :

Haymitch is right? 

My english...I'm from America, but it isn't working so well right now!

The clouds make a blanket so it's not so cold. ( true statement)

and then you have the title of this email, we were coming up with a new christmas song and we both love the song rock of ages (YSA face to face with Elder Holland version), and this is what Sister Popa sang as we waited for the bus hahaha

We are working hard, and seeking to increase our teaching pool. We are really excited for Thanksgiving, both of us are huge fans, and yes we have a tea appointment, but we will also have our own festivities, don't you worry mom! 

I am so grateful for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I know that He lives and loves each one of us. He is our Saviour, and as we put our faith in Him, we can do whatever is needed of us. Thank you all for helping me and encouraging me. Missions are not easy, but they are such a blessing. Happy Thanksgiving!!

LOVE YOU ALL LOVELIES!!!

t-rah! xx

Sister Carter

Have a check!

I AM IN CHORLEYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!

WOW I am so dead excited to be here!! With SISTER POPA, I love her so much, wow! President is so inspired because we are literally soul sisters haha basically all I have to say is she loves 1D, yep..! Aw but seriously, it is so great to be here! This is such a special area, with the temple, and 4 wards, it is CRAZY, but it is so good to be here with a seasoned missionary (she only has 2 transfers left... wahhh!) so we are both like, yes, lets go! 

I will say though, that I really miss Man South, what a beautiful place.... by far my favorite transfer so far. So much fun and the perks from being in the central hub of the mission were unreal. As we drove away in the coach i was like.... blinkin heck I am NOT READY to leave yet!! but now i am like, it's ok, the future is bright, right? yes definitely!

So many fun and funny moments from this week, so we were street contacting up near where we live, and stop this man, he was "in a rush" (hmm sounds so familiar..) and so we shared a mormon.org card with him. as he walked away, Sis Popa goes, "Have a check!" meaning to say have a good night and check it out, it works! 

Also, there is a couple in our ward, the Hewitsons who both served in the Scotland/Ireland mission, who the wife knows Christine Watt/ she is married. haha but crazy!! Small world....

Another was last night while we were walking home, we were telling our funny bus stories, and I remembered one, i have to tell you cuz I almost died laughing last night, and I can't remember if I told yous.  Anyways, this was last transfer. We were getting off a bus to do some finding down in Wythenshawe. I am getting off of the bus, and usually you say something nice to the driver like "cheers" or "thank you" or "tra luv!" but as I walked off (i must have been SUPER distracted) i go, "Hello!" HAHAHAHAHAHA What?? and then I am laughing and the bus driver is just like "huh?" but laughing too, and i am just like, wait no, bye!! missionaries are so crazy!

At MLC this week we got to hear about the Christmas initiative, its going to be soooo brill!! but the best moment was when we all gathered around the projector and watched the new video... heart! <3 it is so good :)

this week has been so good, seeing the temple every day, and finding tons of new investigators, laughing NONSTOP, and saying HBD to Sister Stapel because it was her birthday yesterday!! shout out to her! And basically having no idea what is going on! (this transition has been a super weird one for me, because it is my first time coming into an area without having to lead like at all... this is Sister Popa's 6th transfer here, she knows it suuuuper well and knows how to missionary soooo well, and so im just following her around TOO MUCH!! i am so not used to it! But it's ok, I will figure out who everyone is and where I am eventually!)

Anyways, I love you all! Sorry to hear about the hot tub not working... Bummer.... but now I wont be too jealous I guess, and also fyi, Sis P and I are going to DEFINITELY celebrate Thanksgiving, both of us love it! and maybe the members here will remember ( I hear a lot of them do something fun for the american missionaries sometimes :) No worries!!

Take luck!!

xx

Sister Carter

Manchester's on fire

Hiya!
So just FYI, I love you all!
Yes, I will break the suspense. I know it's killing you to know about
transfers, haha! Not really, but yes! So this is what's happening: I
have done what I have been called to man south to do apparently,
hopefully, cuz I am shipping out to Chorley!! To be the STL there, so
exciting! (It's the area with the the temple, yay!) and Sister Stapel
will stay here and train!! Yeah! Crazy crazy. My time here was so
short, but it was SO fun! This ward, district, and companionship have
all been so inspired. And now half of us  are out, so weird... Change,
gotta love it!
Fun times though, with Halloween and guy Fawkes, they went all out for
bonfire night! Crazy stuff, the whole night it smelled like smoke,
mix from the fireworks and bonfires, nice one.
I literally am so scatter brained, I have to help the sisters get to
their training meeting thing, so basically... Nothing new haha but I
will give you some pics that will help give an idea of the crazy
things we have been up to. I will miss this place, but that's probably
a good sign ;)
Yay for new adventures!!!
Miracle of the day, Bro Higson (who also used to live in canton)
walked into the chapel as we sat here emailing. I was sad cuz I didn't
get to say bye to him yesterday, and since I haven't been here so
long, he was the one we got closest to. He walked in and we got to say
bye in real life. Tender mercies :))
Yay time for Christmas music because no thanksgiving here haha!!
Love you all
Sister Carter
Xx