3/16 4/6‏

FAMILY!!! how's life going?? things here are great! :) things with me and my comp have cooled out i just put it behind me like i said i would and have been going to work! it's been great the week went by a lot faster and we're coming up to the end of the transfer! i'm nervous cause i may get moved out of azua this transfer! which would suck cause we're working with the family of celenni and we're looking into getting a new house still and all that good stuff! so yeah lets hope i stay here! but yeah time for weekly mission report for last week! This week in Pueblo Arriba we got some good appointments set that ended up following through. These past couple weeks we've had a hard time trying to find people who will actually meet with us and want to learn more but this week we started having more success. Also this week we baptized the two little kids that we've been teaching for awhile. Nicole and Jose. They both were baptized and confirmed with no problems. Me and Elder Richardson got to baptize one. We both baptized them in one try so it was a successful baptism! We also have been preparing the older lady Celenni. She's been teaching other people in her neighborhood about the gospel. She's been an investigator that i have enjoyed teaching. This last week she told us about a pastor that tried to tell her she was in the wrong church because we worship Joseph Smith. She then began to tell him about Joseph Smith and how he was a prophet called to restore the church and gave him a lesson on the church. She is going to be a very strong member of this church and she is inviting all her family to learn. We are working with her sister and her niece now and she's got other members that i'm sure after her baptism this week will start sharing with us more. Her grand daughter Kayla has been out of town this past week for the semana santa but tonight we're going to share with her again. She's going to be baptized next week and she's ready for it too! she asks good question and is very interested! We've been contacting a lot this week and have been finding a few possible future fechas. I'm excited to see what happens in this area! but yeah also all 5 of my recent converts were at church! so it was an awesome day! :) then this week we've got celenni! she's asked me to baptize her so i'm super stoked for that! :) that will be the best part of my mission so far! she's had an awesome story and is defenitly one of the best investigators i'll ever have! :) so yeah i'll send pictures next week of that! what else??? oh i bought..... 28 mountain dews! :) yeah i'm pretty stoked! it means i've got get 26 more baptisms! cause i drink one for every baptism as a good job drink! :) and i got my new pants this week! they look awesome! :) i'm tempted to send them home cause they're super nice! but yeah speaking of that i should be getting my package this week! :) i've been waiting awhile but it should be here this week! so i'll let ya know what i need next week after! but other then that i love reading everyones emails and things that are going on in life! request! i know i'm on the mission and don't need to worry what's going on in the world but please someone give me updates on mitt romney! i've been hearing a lot of talk about him and i wanna know what's going on! for two reasons could be the president when i get back and i'll need to know that and two it'll be fulfilling a prophecy so ya know as a missionary i'll need to know that! ;) so yeah that'd be great! and what else??? i think that's it! oh for this weeks crazy food! it was semana santa! which means lots of habichuela con dulces! its super good! i'm gonna make it when i get back for you guys! it's super good! :) tastes like a chocolate milk type of thing! :) but yeah other then that nothing out of the normal this week! so yeah i'll talk to you guys next week! :) have a great week! keep me updated on life i love hearing it! :) your the best all! :) oh and stef i saw the pics of the family and of blake! he is crazy big and also of nicole! :) good job! :) i approve! :) well that's it for this week! love you all!
-Elder Carlson

PICTURES!

3/16 3/6‏

Hello family! How's life there in the good ol U S of A! Life here has been different but good! we've had a different week and kinda long! feels like it's been awhile since i've talked to you guys! but it sounds like all is going well! I'll do my quick update on my investigators then get into the rest of the week! This week in pueblo arriba was good! We taught a lot more lessons and we were able to find a few more investigators. We found an old investigator in our area book and found him and we have started teaching him again! He is very interested in the message and so is his wife! Our investigators with a baptismal date for this week is Nicole, Jose, and Hilary. This week like last week was pretty interesting! Hilary is probably going to be moving and she said she probably won't be able to come to church anymore... then also with Nicole she had her awesome coffee experience last week well this week we were taking her to conference like walking her there when she left us for a few seconds and went into a store and bought something... yeah on sunday... awesome huh??? yeah we're not sure what we're going to do. we're going to talk more about it with her and talk with the lord and see what we should do. She's had the lessons for four months now and should've been baptized last transfer! but just lots of stuff has happened! i don't know what to do the thing is that They go to church every week and are learning from it. so i don't know its best they get baptized but yeah we'll see this week! Our other two baptisms coming up are Celenni and Keila. Celenni went to conference and had a great time listening to the prophets and apostles talk! She loved the conference and can't wait to see another one. Keila couldn't come to the conference because she was out of town for the semana santa. She is coming back today or tomorrow and we have a appointment set up with her as soon as she gets back! Another cool experience this week was we started teaching more family of Celenni! We started teaching her sister and niece. We've shared several lessons with them and they are very interested to know if this church is true. Celenni's baptism is going to be a big event because of all the people who watch her. She's an example to a lot of people who will most likely follow her into the church. I am very excited to see this family continue to come to Christ and be an eternal family! Celenni already talks about going to the temple. So yeah that's our awesome experiences with investigators this week! So conference! it was a tease for me! I got to go to every session except the relief society broadcast so it was way cool! but it was all in spanish except for like the first couple seconds. So we heard it in english for a second or two to hear the persons talk then it was spnaish translator! it sucked not being able to hear their voices! one cool thing with the translation was that for elder scott's talk he actually did the translation. He recorded it earlier and then they played it so we heard him in spanish. but he talked about more stuff in english cause his recording ended sooner then he did in english! but some times we could catch the english before they translated and they meant more in english then in spanish so it sucked missing out on all that! but we'll be able to read it here soon when the liahona comes out! Oh yeah the liahona is our ensign they have it in english so we can read it in english! it's pretty cool! but yeah i understood a lot and there was a lot of cool talks! there was a lot of emphasis on families! it was cool! lots of prepare your kids. I have a feeling the second coming is close cause there were some things said in this conference that was pretty intense and its leaning alot towards prepare yourselfs. so yeah interesting stuff there! but yeah no worries! life's gonna be great! do what you're supposed to and you'll be taken care of! if ya don't believe me read the scriptures! my favorite scripture is now mosiah 2:41 its a good one! but yeah what else??? this week we had an intercambio and i went to the zone leaders area with Elder Salas again. We got us a bacon cheese burger that was great and he told me that my companion has been telling them stuff that i've been doing that i really haven't been doing... yeah don't lie to people its just stupid! Elder Salas knew he was lieing and he talked to me about it and i set him straight. Yeah only three more weeks! i can do it! but yeah i'm just ignoring it! I liked i believe it was President monson who said when you go to bed don't go to bed worry or stressed! Leave things in the past and don't worry about them! I'm here to work and that's what i'm gonna do. No matter what people say! but yeah sounds like crazy stuff is going on over there! Brandy is getting married and Jaycee! That's insane! i can't believe it! When i left Jaycee wasn't dating anyone and Brandy was kinda dating him but wow look at them both! two more months and they'll be married! crazy crazy! well tell them to send me an invitation! i won't be able to make it but i'd like an invite atleast! uhhh what else??? Uhhh this month i hit 6 months! that's a crazy thought! but a cool one! Doesn't feel like i've been out that long but then again it does! i went through and looked at all my letters and i have a ton! i felt super loved! haven't got mom and stefs package yet but it should be coming this week! OH and i sent off a package today! but with the whole moving thing i didn't know who's address to put it on so i just sent it to Nicole! so yeah in like 4 or 5 weeks it should get there and i'm stoked for all you guys to get your stuff! its not much but it's from the heart of Elder Carlson! :) which makes it the best things you can get! ;) but yeah i think that's it for this week! i'm feeling better! i think i had just been really super stressed with just people here so i was feeling sick but i've been working out morning and night and i've been having more calm time. So i'm feeling better! For package stuff! i think i'm good! maybe..... heck i don't know! nothing now! i'll look this week! Oh yeah thanks for throwing more money in my account! i wanted to make one more pair of pants before i left Azua and so that money came just in time! i started another pair today! it's gonna be an awesome pair! :) i'm super excited! but yeah if you guys need anything from me let me know! oh one more thing! theres a family coming down to a branch members house from the states. Guess where she lives??? Good ol St. George! i'm gonna go talk to her this week! oh yeah easter down here is celebrated the whole week! Semana Santa. Its just a week of people leave and go to the beach or go see family! so yeah ok i think that's it! I'll talk to you guys next week!
Much love,
Elder Carlson