Monday, December 24, 2012

9/16 4&5/6‏

Feliz Navidad Familia!!! Hey guys!!! so wow it's been a long time since i've written you guys or even talked to you! i'm doing pretty good out here! super stoked that tomorrow i'm gonna see you guys! :) soooo heres the run down on tomorrow! tomorrow at 3 here (so like 12 there) we're gonna be getting on maybe a little earlier! but be prepared at that time to see your favorite missionary ever!!! :))) but yeah i'm super pumped to talk with you guys! it's been forever it since i've seen you guys! theres been some elders that did it today so that got me super pumped to see you guys! but yeah so these past two weeks i've gotten like 5 packages from you guys and i'm super stoked to open them all! it's been killing me! you know how it was tough for me to not open my presents or snoop at all! yeah here where i can open it all and no one will really know or care it is just killing me! but in like 12 hours i'm gonna be opening them up! i think i'm gonna wake up early like always and open my presents! that way the latins don't try and steal everything i get also! so we'll see what i do! but yeah so this past two weeks were pretty rough with all the christmas stuff and not being home not as easy as last years but the thing that is getting me through it is the fact that next year.... I'll be home for christmas!!!! you can count on me!!!! please have snow and mistletoe! and presents under the tree!!!! ;) woooooo!!!!! i can't wait! but yeah soooo what else happened this week! well last week we had 10 baptisms! and the week before acouple too! so we're doing pretty good! i had to do 5 interviews! i don't like interviews! they're kinda rough cause you're afraid to tell a person no but you know its something you've gotta do! so yeah i did my best had to tell one no which was pretty rough but yeah! but yeah i felt comfortable with everything i did! but yeah also last week we had our christmas party! that was fun! the browns left for the states! yeah i'm pretty super bummed about that! but i'm pretty stoked cause they were just starting out when i came in so i know mines coming to an end! but yeah i got my pictures with them and everything! now they are back in utah enjoying the christmas season there! but yeah we also ate pretty decent and enjoyed all the acts from each zone. our zone sang in three different languages! it was pretty cool! it turned out better then i thought it would! saw all my old comps that are still in the mission. Elder Larsens struggling with his new comp. He's training a kid from colombia and his comp thinks he knows everything so its giving elder larsen a rough ride but we talked things out and we both helped each other out. i had a little bit of a rough time with my comp this past week cause the members are a little stubborn here so he was being stubborn back so we had a talk and it actually worked out good! he calmed down alot and we're doing lots better together! we also spent the night in Ocoa this past week! i love that place! if we ever come back here we're gonna go out there! cause it's super cold and super nice! ok when i say super cold i mean i have to sleep with a blanket! cause that's cold to me now! i wouldn't be surprised if its snowing there or close to that! how's the weather been there! well i don' t want to talk to much cause i'm gonna be talking to you all tomorrow! i hope you all have your questions ready and everything! i've got some too but still i want lots! welll i can't think of really anything else! i'm just ready for tomorrow! i hope all is going well there! and that all continues well! i miss you guys a ton but can't wait to see you tomorrow! have a great day! and talk to you all tomorrow! remember sleep good so that santa can come and leave you presents! the kids here don't celebrate that! they think that kings come in January to give them gifts. and that a rat changes there tooth for money..... how sad huh?? welll yeah different in culutures! but yeah i love you guys! have a great day!
<3-Elder Carlson



Monday, December 10, 2012

9/16 3/6‏

Family!!! How are you doing??? things are super crazy here! i'm super tired and a lit.... really stressed but i've discovered a new way to get rid of my stress! i'm learning how to play piano! we got a piano in our house this week and i'm practicing and teaching my companion! i know mom you're wondering how are you teaching if you don't even know cause you never took the lessons! i actually learned one thing very important in those lessons! that was where middle c is! and from there i've learned and am working on getting the left hand down! but yeah i'm doing pretty good i'm impressing myself and pretty much can play any song with my right hand! :) but yeah and what else!!! two more weeks til christmas! sooo about that! NEWS! next week i won't be emailing because its gonna be our missionary christmas party! which means i won't be able to tell you what time i'm gonna be able to skype because of this crazy week i still haven't figured out when and where and all that! sooooooo what i'm gonna do is if i don't let you know the monday before christmas i'm gonna call you and tell you what time i'll be on! so yeah! be prepared these two days! sorry! but yeah i'm gonna do my best to have a good set time and follow it! so yeah but yeah this week was crazy! went by super fast! cause we've had lots of stuff happen. i had an intercambio in ocoa which is super beautiful! it's pretty much like utah but a lot more tropical! but yeah so i spent the night there it was super fun plus i had a comp that spoke english so i was able to talk to him the whole time in english! it was great! :) but yeah then we also have been planning our activity for the christmas party next monday and we also joined our branch choir to sing this tuesday... guess who got volunteered to sing a duet??? yup! yours truly! but yeah then also we've had some crazy stuff go down with investigators and with branch members! my comps depressed and the other missionaries in my house are upset! but we're all pushing along! i actually got complimented for always being happy and for setting a good example of doing what i'm supposed to and for doing everything by the doctrine! i was pretty pumped! i'm trying to get these guys pumped but i think it's gonna take christmas to get them going! which is coming super fast! so yeah speaking of which! mom i got all the packages from you and grandma! which i was stoked! the elder that brought the mail was upset cause he was pulling out all these packages for me! :) but i didn't care! :) but yeah all safe and sounds! and ready for christmas! i'm to be having my last christmas in the mission! plus i can sing the song i'll be home for christmas next year! :) WOO HOO!!! so yeah for my christmas present i'm gonna buy me a waffle maker and a new pair of pants so thank you all for your christmas present to me! :) i will use them wisely! :) plus i'll act surprised when i use them christmas day! :) i hope you guys all get the things you hoped for on christmas! :) ummmm what else??? welll i think that's about it! so with investigators Alexander that had his baptismal date for this week didn't go to church cause his work just put him to work sundays so we're gonna have to work on that. and then the family we're workin with is having problems of getting the documents for the kids who are not yet recognized by the government here because there mom that left them is here illegally and so its a big deal! so yeah! we're gonna work on that! but yeah then after that we're still working on getting some new real progressing investigators! plus trying to work more with the branch! so yeah but i'm thankful for you guys and can't wait to see you all on christmas! :) prepare your questions and all that! :) i'll try not to answer all your questions with my opening statements! :) and i should talk weird because i have been living in all spanish for 5 weeks then! so yeah! Anyways i gotta go now! have a great day! love you all so much! talk to you in two weeks! :)
-Elder Carlson

Friday, December 7, 2012

9/16 2/6‏

WOW how time is flying! i can´t believe i´m already into the half way point of this transfer! things have been flying by here! zone leader keeps me busy and things are just flying by! and looks like i´m gonna keep getting busier because i´ve gotta do companion exchanges with missionaries in my zone so i´m gonna get to know alot of different areas which is gonna be legit! :) i´m excited for that! as far as the work in my own area! things are going great! We´re progressing in two weeks we should have a baptism of another priesthood holder! and then our family is getting closer and closer too! but yeah i´m super excited! as far as other investigators we´re still looking my comp is all about contacting. which is good but not effective! so i´ve been talking to him about visitin members and starting up an english class and all that stuff! so yeah we´ll see what happens! but yeah we visited a member the other day and it was cool to see the difference from when we hadn´t visited him to when we visited him! cause we visited him he was happier! he knew our names! in church we mainly get called the missionaries cause the members don´t know our names.... i don´t understand how that happened! but yeah i´m gonna change that! plus the guy we shared with has pretty much his whole family inactive so we visited with his daughters and at first they were like alright we´ll share if we have to and by the end they were asking us when we were coming back and putting there own visit! so i was pretty stoked and you could see the members face just smile like crazy! i love it so much! :) so stoked to be a missionary! :) but yeah so then what else??? ummm we´ve had tons of meetings atleast two days each week we´re busy in the morning with meetings! then the others we´re doing something else for missionaries! but yeah then i´m also learning a new language from my companion called guateni! it´s the second language in paraguay! so yeah pretty cool there but yeah other then that i think that´s about it for my cool ness! sooo yeah as far as the baptisms that they had planned well i didn´t hear right theres 20 and its in three weeks! so yeah i´ll let ya know how it goes! if they all make it i´ll for sure be throwing pictures! :) but yeah thats it for this week cause i´m in a hurry cause we got here late and then i got a call about a sick missionary and had to spend about 10 minutes taken care of that and i still need to write my president and all that! but thanks for all your emails guys! i love you all so much!!! :) you´re awesome!
-Elder Carlson
oh yeah just so ya know as of right now we´ve got a computer to use for skype on christmas! we´re gonna get everything set up and taken care of to be sure sure but as of right i´ll be seeing you on christmas! :)