Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Puking Chicken Is Not Cool (4/7/14)

This week our apartment was attacked with the flu!!! Sister Burningham (my roommate) and I didn't get sick until Friday nigh, while Sister Hurst and Hedrick (my comp) were just getting done being sick that day...but we still had to have dinner with a member that night because the last time we had them we had to cancel from some reason! So we went thinking it would be a nice easy meal on our stomach since she normally makes us her chicken noodle soup....nope, not tonight! She ordered out KFC! It was a hard dinner to eat and as I write this I'm getting sick again thinking about it.... I puked that chicken up as soon as we got home! Never in my life am I eating KFC again....ever!

With Sis Burningham on Friday

Sis Hurst and Sis Hedrick on Tuesday


This week I cleaned a lot and got rid of a bunch of junk that I have! My goal is to only have my 2 suitcases when I get transferred next. Oh, and all of my pillows, I cant part with those! I have 6!!! 3 of them might be body pillows... :)

Two words: General. Conference.
Amazing!!! I really feel like all of it was so stinkin' good! Parts that stuck out to me were, "Where is your focus? It should be Christ!" and reading the scriptures and praying everyday! Along with weekly family home evening, and testifying monthly to your children! It is so important that you do these things! Also, you need to grow your faith NOW!!! So that later you will have the faith to get through trials!

LOVE, Sister Violette Carlson!!

I'm So Grateful (3/21/14)

I an so grateful to have the Gospel of Jesus Christ in my life! The best part about it is that I get to share it with others!

My week has been filled with teaching people!! I love that! And I love sharing the story about how Jesus came back and brought back His Church for us on the earth! Because he love us!!

So this week was a party... I stood on a street corner for an hour... because God told me to. We did and we were able to teach someone!! So cool!!! They didn't want to meet with us again but took a Book of Mormon and was excited to read it! I love following the Spirit to guide me to teach people!

There was also a fun day of walking in the rain...(yes it rains here, prayers are answered!) We walked to a stop near our apartment to save miles on our car and it was only misting, and on our way back we walked with a woman to her home. We didn't teach her but you could tell we were supposed to talk to her. God need us to talk to her so she would know that she is loved; God answers prayers with other people! I'm so glad I was able to do that. So we walk like a mile up hill past our apartment while talking to this lady and on our way back it stares down pouring! By the time we got home we were soaking wet. I love my life as a missionary!!

Also, EARTHQUAKE!!!! I felt it shake our apartment! Way cool.

Love Sister Violette Carlson!!!!

Weeks Go By! (3/24/13)

Holy week 6!!!!! This transfer has been going by so fast! It makes me kind of sad that I have such a short time left! So this week I have been thinking about how much I love being a farm girl! I don't know why, but it has come up this week several times and just love it! I milked a cow (that is cool)!! I bailed hay (that's not as cool, but up there as well)!! Oh, and horse back ridding- that's awesome!!! I just LOVE being a farm girl!

This week was what I would call a great week! It started after emailing! Off to a zone activity where we did skits! Ahahahaahah, so funny! Thank goodness for me bringing my cheetah footy PJ'S!!! Hahahaha, I cant believe I wore those in front of all those people!! But then Monday night we went over to a family and did their FHE for them!!! It was awesome! All we did was share the new Mormon Message about bullying...Stop it! Then the family just started taking about how things really are and how they could help stop them. It was awesome!! The Spirit was there so strong! I love moments like that.

Lots of fun and really spiritual things happened this week, like a killer Book of Mormon Lesson, but my favorite thing this week was when I was sitting in church and a less active person that hasn't come to church in forever came in! I was just think how happy God was!! He and His angels are just having a party that this person came to Church; that he put forth the effort. God is so happy when you do small things like that! The small and simple things are the things God wants us to be doing! So every time you read your scriptures or say your prayers, it's a party in Heaven! And God is so proud of you when you do the things that he has asked you to do! So every time you do right, just think that God so proud of you!!

Love, Sister Violette Carlson!!
Give someone a complement this week in a new way :) Make it fun!! Pray for me to be able to say what the Lord would have me say, not to much or to little!

Well, I Just Love This Life! (3/17/14)

Monday: it was the first day of the week and it was long; we didn't get in until 10:45. So we get a phone call at about 9:15 when we're almost home It's been a long day, got lots of things done, and we're ready for bed. The call is from our ward mission leader. One of the Elders' investigators is Freaking Out (it's a women so they cant go over without a man there) so we were asked to go over and see how we could help. She was thinking about no longer going through with being baptized! We were there for some time, just chatting and helping her with some questions, but we got her all calmed down and she was doing well! So then we drive home but there no parking and we had to drive 20 billion miles away to find a place to park (about a quarter mile, but really if feels like 20 billion when you are half asleep)! It was a great night because we helped someone who was freaking out! And now she is baptized!!! It happened last night at 7! It was so awesome seeing someone go into the waters of baptism... that's why we're here, right?

On Saturday I was able to go back to my ward in Irvine and see someone I taught get baptized!! It has been a good weekend!!!!!! Getting to see the Lord's hand in not just my life but the lives of others as well!! I am truly blessed!




Also, this week has been filled with some intense teaching! Spirit filled and super powerful; like 15X the average lesson! Then a invitation to be baptized with an "I need to get a answer first"!!!! I was on exchanges with my STL at that time, so it was nice having my leader see that I can teach well :) always a plus!!!

Well, I just love life!!! It cant get better that this!!! You know, serving the Lord and teaching the people! And having a great time!!! What could be better? I don't know! I love the Gospel of Jesus Christ and all it has given me as I have stood by it and kept true to it!

Love, Sister Violette Carlson!!!
This week pray that I can learn a lot!!!

When In Doubt, Let God Work It Out! (3/10/14)

I FREAKING LOVE MY COMPANION!!!!!!!! She is so much cooler than I am! Let me star from the Beginning...
We were walking and my comp felt like we were supposed to walk down the hill then walk back up and go to our car and have just enough time to go do exchanges with our Sister Trainer Leaders. So, we walk down the hill and I, not knowing, almost crunch a huge mouse with my foot! But the mouse doesn't do anything.... its just sitting there... so it must be a pet of some one, or dying or something; not really sure at this point, but I'm freaking out! I might have been acting a bit like a psycho! But then my companion picks the mouse up and I have lost it at this point!! What are we doing with this mouse? Taking it to our car! Spirit of the Law at this point! So we put it in a box and left it in our apartment (in the other Sister's bathtub.........yeah). We ended up just letting it go, but man, oh man, is my companion cooler that me for picking that thing up! It freaked me out!

In other news we were able to teach 3 new people this week; one accepted a baptismal date for April 12th, so that's exciting! We taught one of these people through a fence! That was cool, just sharing the Restoration right there on the spot, it doesn't get better than that. I love the Gospel of Jesus Christ! It is so simple: Have faith, repent, be baptized by someone holding the Priesthood, receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, and Endure to the end! It is Simple, but not easy to follow. But it is so important that we live it!

So I also got a hair cut! A line....Sorry mom! I really do enjoy it!

I would also like to point out some thing weird.... today I am 8 mouths old in the mission! Wow!!! Time is flying by so fast!!! I'm just so thankful that I have changed so much over this time that I have been able to see some of what God wants for me! I still need to open my eyes more to all that God has for me to learn, so I'm working on that!

Love you so much!!!! Please pray that I will be able to be Humble this week as I teach....not to be Humbles but to be Humble.....much different! It's something that I am working on doing! I know that you can help me out even though your so far away :) Thanks so much!

LOVE, SISTER VIOLETTE CARLSON!

It Was the Best of Times; It Was the Worst of Times (3/4/14)

This week started off amazing! We had a killer Monday night! We taught 3 investigator lessons, 44 contacts, and picked up a new investigator... on a Monday night! That never happens!!! It was such a great feeling teaching so may people and talking to everyone we came into contact with! Tuesday was just as productive....then the night came and.... Sister Hedrick came down with something. Were thinking the flu but it was weird. So then I got it and we were stuck inside all week!

What!?! Life is crazy when you're a missionary!!! So then we were both sick but trying to feel better. Thinking that it would not last long, we went to an appointment that would only take us 20 mins to teach then we could go home and sleep....but it took about an hour and a half just trying to get ready to look half-way decent. So then our appointment fell through and we needed some Gatorade and Kleenex. We went into the store to get these items as fast as we can because we don't want to look like pile missionaries shopping on a non-pday... but then we ran into a member in our ward! so we had to explain that we are sick (remember we look like normal, not-sick missionaries because we just spent an hour and half getting ready)! We dad to explain that we were sick....Hahaha, I love my life! A lot of miracles happened to us on Monday and Tuesday!!! It was great! I love the Lord and his workings.

For example, one night in my last area we were walking near our complex (we had 10 mins until we had to go in) and all of a sudden I had to go t the bathroom. Like, I was going to pee my pants! So I said to my companion, "We have to go in, I'm going to pee my pants..." So we walk back and as we are almost in ths gate there is a man walking, and of course I talk to him not thinking that it will take too long...but then he wants to hear the lesson!!! What!? At this point I cant even remember that I'm going to pee my pants and thanks to some new training we can teach a lesson in about 10 mins! So, we taught the man on the sidewalk the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ!!! But when we were done I still had to pee! Did I pee my pants for the second time on my mission? Yes...but it was worth it!! Who would have thought that my bladder would have directed me to teach someone!? So cool!

So, I have been reading The Fellowship of the Unashamed and I thinking about how my past zone leader said I could improve on was having more faith when I had asked what to work on. Everyone in the mission is being told to have more faith. I was thinking of ways to show my faith more to the Lord because faith is an action word. What did I need to do? While reading this it says that "I'm finished with dwarfed goals"...and it hit me like a rock flying out of as tornado on a spring morning! I was dwarfing my goals!! This week our goals are high but I know that the Lord will help me as I am obedient and if it be His will!

"I am part of the fellowship of the unashamed. The dye has been cast! I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made; I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I won't look back, let up, slow down, or be still. My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, and my future is secure. I'm finished and done with low living, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tainted visions, worldly talking, cheap giving, and dwarfed goals. I no longer need pre-eminence, positions, promotions, plaudits or popularity. I now live by faith, lean on His presence, walk with patience, am uplifted by prayer, and labor with power. My face is set, my gait is fast, and my goal is Heaven. My road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions are few, my guide is reliable, my mission is clear! I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, divided or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of the adversary, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity. I won't give up, shut up, or let up, until I have stayed up stored up, and paid up of the cause of Christ. I must go till He comes, give till I drop, preach till I know, and work till He stops me. And when He returns for His own, He will have no problem recognizing me. My banner will be clear."

And I am sure you all want to know what I did while I was sick:
Slept
Unpacked
Washed my bedding, twice
Read the Book of Mormon
Ate
Slept
Watched The Testament
Caught up on journal writing

Well that was my week! This week in you family and personal prayers please pray for me and Sister Hedrick, that we will have the faith we need to do the Lord's will and that we will find those who are ready for the great message we have to share to all the world!

Also I'm not sure if I have told you yet or not but I'll say it twice: watch Earthy Father, Heavenly Father on MormonChannel.org! Do it!

I love you all!!!!!!
Sister Violette Carlson!