Hello from the Isle of Man

Aka Ellan vannin in Manx
Hello my wonderful family!!
Aw it is so crazy to be here emailing you, it all just feels so
surreal! Such a crazy adventure, this past week has felt like a
whirlwind! Thank you dad for the info about the Isle, we just got back
from the Manx museum and literally just learned all those things,
pretty crazy huh? I had no idea that the Isle of Man is its own
country type thing, like wales, but there ya go! Also, the TT, yes, it
is so huge here, and I should still be here for it :)
I am so excited to be serving with sister Cannon, she is SUCH a
powerful and fabulous missionary, plus we are already friends, so
that's a plus. She is from Brunswick Georgia, and goes to buy Idaho,
holla!! And my mate sister Cummins trained her <3 haha this is her
third transfer out here, and she has seen lots of miracles while in
Douglas, and we are keeping the ball rolling, with one dated
investigator, and a few others in the works!! Woohoo! It's also pretty
crazy because we met each other on social media before the mission,
and I always wanted to serve with her, but never thought I would,
seems the Lord had different plans ;) yay!!
But yes, there is so much work to do here, and so randomly, people are
coming out of the woodwork! Trevor, our dated investigator, has a
fiancé from MICHIGAN!!! Coincidence? I think not! We had 4
investigators At church yesterday, that has never happened my whole
mission, I'm telling you, miracles!!! Aww it is so great to be here!
If you can't tell, I am super excited!!
One other random thing, there is a sister, Joann Radcliffe, who used
to live in south Lyon!! Her sister is sister eckersley!! ( I think...
there is a Connection to that family;) So crazy, I love all the fun
connections you make on missions!
I have gained a greater understanding of what it means to truly trust
the Lord. He has the bigger picture in mind always. It can be hard to
remember this when the answers don't seem to be coming, but as we
strive to be happy no matter the circumstance, and trust that He knows
our hearts, we will find those answers. They may take long to come, I
still await answers to many of mine, but I have seen many answers as
well. I have been able to feel true joy in moments of trial and
moments of peace. He loves each one of you, and through Christ's
atonement, our efforts can be magnified. Never doubt the power it has
in every aspect of life. I know these things are true and the way to
real happiness that lasts. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
I will continue to update you more, my kind is still I a bit of a
whirlwind, the first weeks of transfers are always kinda crazy, but I
love you all LOADS!!
Have a brill week fam!
XxSister Carter

Off to the Docks

Alrighty folks,

Here is the news!! We got our transfer calls yesterday, and my fate has been decided. Sister Flake will be staying here in Chorley, and I will be catching a ferry tomorrow morning to go serve in the ISLE OF MAN!!! haha! I can't believe it! I don't even really know much about this area, but if you think Britain is a small island, think again! ;) Aw no, I am really excited, and I will be serving with Sister Cannon, yay! I will miss Chorley though, and sweet Sister Flake. We have worked hard here, and not seeing the temple on the daily will be so... sad! So there ya go! WOOHOOO Transfers!!

This week has been full of miracles, challenges as well, per the norm, but lots of tender mercies. One that was huge for us happened on Wednesday night. We had an appointment to meet with Kirsty, and her boyfriend, Liam. A ward member has really been helping them along and really pushing them to meet with us, since their foster parents legally can't. So we had a good lesson in which we taught about the Godhead- they are both so new to all of this. The lesson felt a bit stiff, and we could tell that there was a bit of tension in the air. But the spirit came in so strongly and changed all of that. We had just shown Liam the video "Because of Him", and he felt the spirit obviously because put his arm around Kirsty, and amid emotion expressed how he just wanted to be with his family and God. In this moment, Sister Flake asked if he would do anything to come closer to Christ, and invited him to follow Christ by being baptised. He said YES! it was such a powerful moment and powerful lesson, i will always remember. We have since linked him with the missionaries in Oldham who have taught and dated him for baptism. He has a ways to go, but I now know without a doubt, that I was meant to meet Kirsty here. That I was sent to be here now, to help her family to be together forever. 

Another miracle happened after a bit of a tough day on Saturday. Cancelled appointments and such. We kept pushing though, and I was eagerly anticipating the miracle- Ether 12:6 mode :) We knocked on a woman's door, and she was so kind. She comes to different activities at the church, has so much respect for church members, and even though she is of a different faith, she expressed that she has always wanted to know more about what we believe! The sisters will be teaching her later this week, and she said that she may even bring some friends along! :)

I am incredibly grateful for this time I have had to serve here in Chorley. I have learned SOOO much here. I have grown so much closer to my Saviour. I can see how he has led and guided me in my time here, and I feel so grateful for the fruits of my labors that i can see and even that I can't. 

I am really excited to be heading to Douglas, and to have many new adventures!! Here goes!!

I love you all!!!

Love,

Sister Carter xx

#blessings

Heya luvs,

Wow I am so excited for Ethan!! haha What an exciting mission call!!! I have been in so much suspense waiting for this email! haha since the date was moved up!! WOOHOOOO!! missions are the best Ethan, you'll do incredible, good luck with the super quick turn around, the Lord (and Mom and Dad) will help you :)

As for us here in Chorley this week, we are having great things happen!! We are still keeping busy, and have started teaching a South African family this week ( reason 1 million and 3 why I want to go visit s.a. after the mish!) and they are incredible and so prepared! They moved here 2 years ago and haven't found a church here to attend yet. They have strong desire to "find God again" and have some sore trials going on that have helped them to really turn to Him. I am so grateful for miracles like this family. We tracted into them when I first got here, mid november ish? and then kind of called by when in the area. On Wednesday as we were walking towards the flat, I had this distinct impression that we needed to call by them. I was also praying about what we could say to get a return appointment. When we had met them tracting, we had just met the father, and when we called by Wednesday, the wife answered the door. We asked if he was in, but then the spirit told me to really explain to her who we were. She was excited to hear what we do as missionaries, and eagerly told us to come back on Friday to teach the whole fam! We did, and the lesson was so powerful, they have been reading in the Book of Mormon, and we are so excited to help them keep progressing!! Woohoo! 

The other bigger miracle from this week was when one of the members got really excited about missionary work, and when he saw kirsty at a party of a ward member, invited her and her boyfriend to come to church and to keep meeting with the missionaries. We haven't been able to get into contact with Kirsty, and have been kind of unsure of what to do for her, and so this was  a HUGE answer to prayer. They both came to church, and her boyfriend, who lives down near manchester, wants to meet with missionaries down there!! YAY!! 

I have been thinking a lot lately about change and repentance and what a joy it is. I had a particular experience this week as I prayed to know how I could improve and change. I was reminded of King Lamoni's father in the Book of Mormon. He wanted to know if God was there, and declared he would give away ALL OF HIS SINS to know Him. I had a very real reminder from the spirit that I need to leave behind all of my sins, to give away all past guilt, regret, failures, sins, and even weakness. That even though I didn't want to, somehow I was still holding on to all of that, but really I didn't have to at all! I felt that I was willing to give over my will to God, but that amount of will was significantly decreased because of all of those things I let linger in my mind and bug me. It is the moment when we clear those things away, push them off the table, realise that the Atonement can literally cleanse us, and take those things away, that we can really give our whole will over to the Lord. I felt that incredible power and cleansing this week, and I know what a difference it can make. I have felt a greater ability to do this work, and to focus on what really matters most. I love my Saviour, and I am eternally grateful that we can repent daily and improve because of Him.

One kinda funny story to tell you: So this morning, we got our shopping done, and were waiting for the bus... 20 min later, after complaining about how our precious pday time was ticking away, we decided to walk the 15 min walk home.... dang it! haha so that kinda sets the stage for what comes next. We put down our groceries and set out to catch the next bus into town to come email. We are walking around the corner to the bus stop, and... it drives right past us!! IT WAS 5 MIN EARLY!! WHAT!!??? dahhhhhh! i was just not so happy about that. we sat there, waiting for our bus that was meant to get there in about 15 more min. When all of a sudden i look up, and see our bus driving towards the stop!! We jump up and hail it, and happily board, realising, opps, that other bus that just passed was super late, and ours was right on time ;) hahaha oh the joys of public transport, welcome to the life of missionaries in the UK hahaha It also was another evidence of God's love for us, tender mercies are just so sweet :) and sometimes quite humorous.

Oh! one more for you! We decided to spend some time calling by less actives, and as we knocked on the door of one near us, we got the most interesting welcome. The husband answered the door, and goes, "Oh, hey everyone, the wicked witches from the west are here!!" haha turns out he is just cheeky as ever, and was happy to have us come in and chat with him and his wife :)

I am so grateful to be here in Chorley right now! Things really are looking up, and the sun is FINALLY starting to peek from behind the clouds. British springs are so beautiful! The daffodils are everywhere, yay!! 

I love you all and I am so excited to hear about all of your amazing news and fun adventures! Keep smiling, keep up the good work!

Love,

Sister Carter xx

So much to be thankful for

Heya fam!

This week has been super fab! We had lots of adventures, and I GOT THE PACKAGEEE!! thank you SOOO so much for that, and for all the post you all have been sending lately. I literally cannot tell you how happy it makes me! Thank you!!

Valentines day was so great! it never fails, what a good holiday, hey Ethan? haha nah, jokes, but i really do love Valentines day, and plus, IT WAS MY SUGAR DAY!! fyi: i am off sugar until my birthday... So that was amazing. needless to say i stuffed my face, and Sister Flake said it was the best thing ever to see that pure joy! haha oh my days! haha yes, true :) It also was her Half way mark day! So we celebrated a lot! I also may have freaked out a bit too... thats just too crazy! But yes, it was a wonderful day, also thinking about sharing our message of the infinite love that comes from our Father in Heaven and His Son, Jesus Christ. That is what this mission is all about. So it tied in perfectly :)

We are finally starting to build our teaching pool. It is quite tough to have dry spells, especially when they last a long time. We have been finding constantly, me for about the past 3 months, but we are getting appointments, and I am beyond grateful for that. We are teaching Kirsty still, and she is keeping her commitments, and came to church again yesterday- woohoo! what a joy that is! She told us that she prayed and felt an answer to her prayers, and we are going to keep seeing her throughout this week, yayay! We have a few others in the works as well, but I am really seeing the hand of God touching our lives. I have this renewed hope. I know that there are always trials of our faith, and that I need this time to really stretch me, and allow me to rely completely upon the Lord. I cannot do this on my own, and He is allowing miracles to come into our lives. We have gotten a few member referrals recently, and can I just say, that is the most wonderful thing. It is good to know that they trust us enough to have us meet their friends. That is how the work will progress though, when members and missionaries unite. We are all in this together. Thank you fam for being such amazing member missionaries, I am blown away every email i get from yous about how you share the gospel and share some more! keep going!

We had some really funny moments this week, Sister Flake is keeping me laughing, so at least there is some consistency in missionary work ;) but overall I have felt this overwhelming sense of gratitude and peace this week. I know that God lives. He is so aware of each one of us. He wants us to be happy, and He wants us to progress. I also know that happiness comes from within. It is not a quest or a goal to work towards, but it comes from having that desire. We can choose each day to be happy. We can choose to do the best with the opportunities that are presented us, and trust in the Lord to guide our lives. He is guiding mine. Sometimes the path is all sunshiny, sometimes there are some storms, but as we realise that He loves us and we are moving forward on this path, we can be happy no matter what part we are at. I have really seen that this week. We can put our full trust in Him. We can stop comparing ourselves to others. We can stop worrying about the past, and move on. We can be truly and wonderfully happy. This doesn't mean we won't be tired, or sad, or stressed. But amidst it all we can have joy and peace. I know this is true because I have really experienced it this week. Life is good :)

I wish I had some good stories to tell, but my brain is like a siv, and I think most of the funny moments, you had to kinda be there, and also be a missionary.. (our sense of humor is altered dramatically.... if you haven't already noticed!) hah! 

Anyways, that's about it! So be happy, because God loves you!

And I love you!!

Cheers,

Sister Carter xx

pics: some are from a while ago, but enjoy!! 

the ones from the bus stop are from today because it is warm enough to not wear a coat, WHAT!?? XD

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Hi fam!!!
Ok, so today was our "time out for sisters" and it literally took
alllll day, but was super fun! Sadly it once again leaves me with zero
time to write a proper email to you all!!
Just know that I am happy and healthy and that things in Chorley are
finally picking up!! Woohoo!!! I'll fill ya in more next week!!
Have a fab Valentine's Day!!
I love you all!!
Sister Carter
Xx

Changes in Chorley!

Fam,

I literally cannot believe it is February! How on earth is time going SO FAST!!?? Aw, but i have a really good feeling about this month, it is going to be uhh mazing. yes!

So basically, to update you, yes! Transfers happened! We were at the mission home for Sister Popa's final interview when we got our calls, and because of last minute changes, they didn't come in until about 7! i was... ready to get that call hahaha aw but yes, I am still here in Chorley, and I am so excited to be serving with sweet Sister Flake, she is so cute! I love her so much :) More on that in one minute. Just a side story on that evening though. So she had her interview and we had to get back to Altrincham to catch a tram back into manchester to catch our train into chorley. Basically it was going to be a crazy night as is, but then we missed our tram. Bless Sister Ulrich, she gave us a lift to the tram station, but we had to wait a few minutes for the next one. Got to piccadilly, and the train had come and gone, and the next one was over at victoria station... in an hour! -side note, sister Popa and I both LOVE manchester- So we were not too upset about having an hour to walk around the city until our next train ;) we got to bolton, and it was way late, but we called the ZL's to let them know we weren't going to be in on time. They asked where we were, and we told them we were just getting onto a rail replacement coach. like we were sitting on the bus while talking to them. they told us that they were going to call the ap's to get permission to bring a member and come get us, so waiting for them to call back , we were like..... ahhhh hurry upppp.... this bus is going to leave any SECOND!! dahhhh! haha and then, the doors close, and then next second, they call! I jump up and say "wait driver, can we get off?!!" haha he was so confused, bless him, and yeah, they were so kind to come get us, saved us a half hour of much needed rest. #blessed :)

It was hard to say bye to her, it all hit me as we were sat in the transfer meeting, of course they have the departing missionaries all bare their testimonies, and I was like... wait, i am not ready. so emotional! She is my sister, rip Shanae! aw. But I am so grateful for this time to be serving with Sister Flake :)

Intro to my new companion: Sister Flake is from Utahhhh!! and she is the oldest of 5, and she also goes to BYU, YESS!!! haha She is super sweet, and just what Chorley, and I, need right now. I love her so much already :) She has been out about 8 months, and has served that whole time in one area, so second area, adjustment, lets go!!

Yay ethan for graduating and getting your papers in! That's what I am TALKING about!! haha enjoy this time- it is so precious, and it goes SO FAST... no lies.

We have found a good few people to teach, and we are really excited- also we have some appointments with members this week that I haven't had any with previously, so I am really excited about all that this transfer will bring. We are already seeing miracles :) Life is good! So full of changes, and that's why it is so amazing.

I hope that you all have a wonderful week! 

Thank you for all of your love and support!

Love,

Sister Carter

ps I totally forgot my camera at home, bummer, but I will be sure to send a pic of us asap :)