Week 45 - Autumn was baptized & avoiding temptation!

Hey!

I am now in the Bountiful East Stake, in Bountiful! We cover 7 wards. I love it. The members are great. My new companion is Elder Smith, from New Zealand! He's been out just over a year. He has type 1 diabetes and has told me that I might end up saving his life once or twice in the next few months!! I don't know how I feel about that! haha. He lived in Texas for his 4 years of high school, so his accent has kind of faded. But some words he says, you can really tell he's a Kiwi!!

Great news! Autumn (the young girl I worked with in my first area) was baptized on Saturday! It was an amazing experience. Her dad has been less-active in the Church for most of his life, but has recently returned in the past year or so. He has become worthy and was able to baptize her!! :) It was seriously the most spiritual baptism I've ever been to. There were so many people there to support her.

 Along with spiritual, it was a very on-the-edge-of-your-seat kind of baptism. Autumn is an amazing 10-year-old girl with a condition of cerebral palsy. Her biggest concern about baptism was that she didn't want to be dunked underwater. She was terrified. But thankfully she gained the courage to go through with it. As her father said the baptism prayer and put her down into the water, her feet came right out from under her and came out of the water! Oh noooo!! She was almost crying when she came back up and wasn't very happy to hear she had to be dunked again. After about 5 minutes of her and her dad standing in the water, she agreed to do it one more time. Her father proceeded quickly with the prayer and put her under. Her feet came up again!!! From the back, it seemed as if her feet came out of the water, but the 2 witnesses said they didn't! So she was good! Whew, that was a close one!

I am so happy for Autumn and her Dad. I know that through the Gospel of Jesus Christ, they can gain maximum happiness in this life, as we all can.

Elder Smith and I were able to speak in one of our sacrament meetings yesterday! I love to be able to feel the companionship of the Holy Ghost as I speak. It is such a blessing to know that it really isn't me speaking. If it was me speaking, I would never be able to get my message across! (2 Nephi 33:1) It's truly amazing, how it works.

During Sacrament Meeting, we sung a certain hymn, and a particular line stood out to me.

"I believe in Christ; so come what may,

With him I'll stand in that great day." - I Believe In Christ, Hymn # 134

Let us stand with Christ. Let us build our foundation upon him. When we do this, we don't need to worry. The Lord is on our side! So how do we "build our foundation upon Christ"? Well there is something we teach as missionaries called CPR! Church, Pray, Read! It works, trust me! If you every feel your faith slipping… CPR! Make sure you are doing these things daily, and weekly. I promise you that as you do so, you can come closer to our Savior Jesus Christ.

Recently, some very sad news has been shared with me. I have been informed that a young man in my first area, who was super stoked about going on his mission, has recently returned home early. I took this young man on splits maybe 4 or 5 times. He was on fire. His testimony was amazing. Unfortunately, while on his mission in Hawaii and about 7 months out in the field, he came across someone who shared some Anti-Mormon material with him. It encouraged him doubt his faith. He decided he didn't believe anymore. He says doesn't believe in God, or that he is Agnostic. It breaks my heart. He was so ready to go out in the field, and baptize the world!

Satan is very cunning. He has a lot of experience. I have unfortunately seen a big handful of returned missionaries that have returned home and for some reason or another, decided this Gospel is not for them. I don't understand it. Please keep your faith strong. Please CPR daily and weekly. Please stay active in your church calling. Please do ALL that you can, to stay aware of Satan's temptations! This Gospel is what brings happiness. This Gospel is how we can gain salvation and exaltation. Please pray for this young man that his heart might be softened by the Lord.

My mission has changed my life and strengthened my testimony incredibly. I am so blessed by the Lord with the testimony he has given me. I am so grateful for Him and his infinite atoning sacrifice.

Thanks to everyone for your constant love and support. Hope you are having the time of your life where ever you may be! Love you all!!

Love,

Elder Carroll

My favorite quote this week: "The supreme reward of struggle is strength." - Ralph Parlette

My favorite scripture this week: - Helaman 5:12 - "And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall."

Week 44 - Fa'afafine is on date!!!!

Hiwa (A priest from one of our wards), Clyde, and Elder Carroll

Hello!!

We have received transfer info today, and I will be moving areas! I am sad to leave North Salt Lake, I have met some amazing people here that I know I'll be friends with for a long time. I have been asked to serve as a District Leader in Bountiful. Although feeling a little inadequate, I am excited to strive to magnify my calling as a missionary more than ever during this transfer! I know with the help of the Lord, great and amazing things will happen. (Alma 26:12)

The Lord has been merciful to us and has blessed us with many, many people to be working with ending this week! I am excited for Elder Boyles and his new companion (a great Elder who I have served around) to carry on the great work in this area.

First off, Alika is on date for June 21st!! We had a great lesson with him this week and had the opportunity to ask him if he received an answer to his prayers about the Book of Mormon or Joseph Smith. He said he did! And also that he knows it's true and that Joseph Smith truly was a prophet!! We have yet to review the Chastity lesson.... so we will see how it goes! :)

Other thank Alika, 2 others we are working with are also on date for baptism! One of them is a man named Kevin, who has been around the Church his whole life and has now decided he needs to be baptized. So he is on date for June 14th. We are just going through the basic lessons with him.

The other one on date is an awesome guy named Clyde. I'm not sure if I've mentioned him before, but he is about 50 and has been going to church with his LDS wife for the past 3 years, hardly missing any meetings. He has told past missionaries that he would never be baptized! But recently he has told us that he wants to!! He wants to be baptized in a river, in Montana! Unfortunately we will not be able attend the baptismal service, but we are super excited for him! He is planning on July 8th.

Joe is doing great also, and has had a change of heart! He says he knows the Book of Mormon is true and that, "it's not just another ordinary book"! He says he knows Joseph Smith was a prophet! We excited to baptismal invitation for him to prepare himself to be baptized on June 14th. He said he would like to talk to his wife first, and that he will get back to us :) He's gonna get baptized!! He has so much support from his wife's family, it's awesome.

Although I am leaving the area, I will be allowed to come back and attend the baptisms :)

This past week, we have been able to simply read the Book of Mormon with a few Investigators/Less-Actives. We probably read 1 Nephi Chapter 1 like 4 times haha. I love the scriptures. They bring such peace, and wisdom. My invitation to you, is to take time out of your busy day (if you're not already) to study and ponder the scriptures that our Loving Heavenly Father has provided us with. And if you are already, keep up the god work! I promise the Lord will bless you. I promise you can come closer to Jesus Christ by reading the Book of Mormon. That's what it's for. To convince the world that Jesus is the Christ. I love it.

I know this Gospel was truly restored by God and Jesus Christ themselves. It is such a blessing to me. It brings true happiness. That's what the Gospel does. It helps bring maximum happiness into our lives.

That's it for this week! I love you all, and hope you are having a wonderful time wherever you may be! :)

Much Love,

~Elder Carroll

My favorite scripture this week: D&C 121:34 - "Behold, there are many called, but few are chosen.."

PSS - I will send my new mailing address asap!

Elder Burt!! One of the best Elders I've served around!

Week 43 - There's A Reason He Did What He Did In The Garden

P-day (Preparation or day off)

Hey guys!!

Hope you have all had an amazing week! Mine has been nothing short of exciting and filled with great things!!

First off, we picked up a few new investigators this week!! But i would like to share one of them with you! His name is Alika, and he is Samoan! He is what the Samoan people would call  a Fa'afafine [Fah-Fah-Fee-Nay] (Google it!) He (or she??) is 21, and has been coming to church for a while now, but has been wearing dresses and going to Relief Society... and he also had hair down to his rear... But has recently cut it real short and started wearing pants and attending Priesthood meetings! :) So he is progressing! We've had 3 meetings with him this week, and he has agreed that if comes to know for himself that the Book of Mormon is true, he will be baptized! :)

So yesterday we had the opportunity to go to 2 sacrament meetings! They were great meetings, but something happened during our first one that made me think about my role as a missionary, but more importantly, a member of Christ's true Church on the earth today.. So as we were sitting there on the pews, I was sitting next to a 6 year old girl to my left, and Elder Boyles on my right. In my peripheral vision, I could see the small girl continue to look at us. She would look at our hair, then look at your shoes, then at our ties! It was quite funny! :) I then looked over at her, to see her holding an Ipad. She had an App opened that was like a coloring book. I knew it was an LDS App, because she had a picture pulled up of 2 cartoon missionaries teaching someone, and she was coloring it! It gave her the option to color each and every individual part of these missionaries (clothes, hair, and accessories), so she was coloring us!! At the end of sacrament meeting, she tugged on my arm and showed us her beautiful coloring job she had accomplished :)

It made me realize that as missionaries (especially in Utah!) we are ALWAYS being watched! Whether is by a 6 year old girl or a 66 year old lady! We no longer have a personal identity, but instead personally represent our Lord Jesus Christ. Then it made me realize that it's not just missionaries who represent Jesus Christ. As members of His Church, we have promised to always stand as a witness of who He is. Everyone knows we are members. They are constantly watching us. What we do, is what they perceive the Church to be. It is my invitation to you, to always remember that promise you made when you stepped into the waters of baptism. And for those of you who have not yet made that promise, i invite you to do so. The blessings of baptism are truly amazing. The Lord is just waiting for to bless you with more happiness than you could imagine.

One last thing i would like to discuss is something that, even as much as we talk/discuss about, we could ever comprehend what really and truly happened. This is the Atoning sacrifice of our Savior Jesus Christ. Our Lord has atoned for every single last sin we have committed. With sin, comes guilt and shame. These burdens can be lifted, if we can humble ourselves, and confess and forsake them. Some people associate repentance with being a bad thing. It is NOT! It is a wonderful blessing that allows us to come closer to our Heavenly Father and His loving Son. Being out here in the field, I have seen many, many people enter into the steps of repentance. And let me tell you, they are the happiest people I know. I know that as we continually repent and do our best, we can feel of God's love for us always. There is a reason He did what he did, in the Garden. It was for me. It was for you. If you are currently not taking full advantage of Christ's Atonement in your life, I invite you to do so. As a personal representative of Jesus Christ, I promise you, your burdens can be lifted. There is hope. Through the Atonement, we can become the happiest that we can be.

I love my mission and i love what i have learned. I have experienced things that have helped me to truly come to know what i want in life. I know this Gospel does bring us true and everlasting happiness.

I hope you are all well, and hope you have wonderful weeks! Love you all!

Much Love,

~Elder Carroll

PS - Helaman 5:11 "And he hath power given unto him from the Father to redeem them from their sins because of repentance; therefore he hath sent his angels to declare the tidings of the conditions of repentance, which bringeth unto the power of the Redeemer, unto the salvation of their souls."

My favorite scripture this week - Helaman 5:11 "And he hath power given unto him from the Father to redeem them from their sins because of repentance; therefore he hath sent his angels to declare the tidings of the conditions of repentance,which bringeth unto the power of the Redeemer, unto the salvation of their souls."

Week 42: The Missionaries Are Here To Help YOU!

Jammin' with the neighborhood kids!

Teaching Elder Boyles a few riffs on the bass!

Hello!!

A lot of great things are happening! The Lord has blessed us with a total of 42 individuals (14 Investigators, 24 "Less-Actives", and 4 Recent Converts) to be working with! We are so fortunate to be in such a great area, with great members who are willing to share His great message.

Can I just tell you.. Missionaries are not put in your area for you to help them.. They are put there so that THEY can help YOU! Sure, missionaries are called to teach and preach the standard missionary discussions, but they're only around for 2-6 months! You've lived in your home and neighborhood for 20 years!! You know your neighbors! You know who are church members and who are not! You know who is receptive and who is not! Please do not hesitate to share the Pearl of Great Price that you have in your life. His message and Gospel is the greatest single gift any person on this earth could receive. Please continually pray for constant missionary opportunities. I promise you that as you do so our Loving Heavenly Father WILL give them to you! When he know's you are willing, he will bless you ("Many are called, few are chosen" - D&C 121:40). I promise that as you receive these opportunities and actually ACT on them, you will find tremendous joy, just as I have, serving the amazing people of Utah. It might be hard at first, but soon enough, it becomes very natural and the Lord will bless you with what you should say (D&C 100:6) :)

Joe is doing great.. He know's the Gospel is true, but is having a hard time with his Catholic family.. They aren't too happy about him wanted to learn more about the Latter-Day Saints. I wish they could just understand what this Gospel is really all about. It's about being happy. It's about being with our families forever. It's about service. It's about loving everyone. It's about increasing our knowledge in area's of great worth. It's about knowing that God loves all of His children. 

During District Meeting this week, we sang Hymn # 243, "Let Us All Press On". One particular line stood out to me:

"If we do what's right we have no need to fear,

For the Lord, our helper, will ever be near;"

It's so true. If we follow the council of the prophets and Jesus Christ, we really dont have anything to worry about. Sure, life isn't gonna be all peachy all the time, but because I know that God know's better than I do, I know that he gives me trials that I need. They are given to us so that we can learn. God would never give us trials to bring us down, but only to lift us higher :) So let us all press on!!

I can't stress enough, the joy and true happiness that his Gospel brings. I love my mission, and I love the people I serve with and around. I love the Lord and I am so grateful for his Atonement. 

Hope you have a wonderful week, please stay busy and stay safe!! :)

Much Love,

Elder Carroll

My favorite scripture this week - Alma 26:8 "Blessed be the name of our God; let us sing to his praise, yea,let us give thanks to his holy name, for he doth work righteousness forever."

Week 41 - "It shall be given you..."

Hey everyone!

First off, I'd like to give a birthday shout out to my old man! Happy Birthday Dad! :)

This has been an eventful week. The Lord has blessed us with many people to share His message with. 

Joe is progressing greatly and is doing well! He said something yesterday that really caught us off guard.. We asked him how he has been feeling as we have discussed the Restored Gospel over the past month, and he said, "I couldn't see myself living without this." My jaw dropped! The problem is, he still believes he hasn't received an answer yet.. He will soon enough :) He is doing everything he needs to be doing in order to receive that witness of this Gospel for himself :) Please keep him in your prayers, that he will receive his own witness! 

Although it's been very apparent to me since the beginning of my mission that the Spirit is the true teacher, and is the one who converts others.. This week I have truly witnessed the Spirit work through the Lord's servants. It's hard to explain, but it happens exactly how the scriptures explain it..

D&C 100:5-6 - "Therefore, verily I say unto you, lift up your voices unto this people; speak the thoughts that I shall put into your hearts, and you shall not be confounded before men; 

"For it shall be given you in the very hour, yea, in the very moment, what ye shall say."

This past week it almost seems like I just open my mouth and it's not me talking. It's extraordinary. I don't even have to think about what I'm going to say.. it just comes out and is exactly what the investigator needs to hear. I know the Lord is great. I know that this is His work. I know he prepares a way for all of his children to return to Him. I know he works in mysterious ways, and I love it. It is such a testimony builder for me. I love the Lord and am so grateful to be able to serve Him in this great time.

I shared this talk/video awhile back, but i feel inclined to share it again. If you have 15 minutes, please watch this :) https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2013/10/come-join-with-us?lang=eng

I love this Gospel and I love my mission. And I love all you for the support you have shown me! :)

Thank you so much, you are in my prayers, stay busy and stay safe! :)

Much Love,

~Elder Carroll

My favorite scripture this week - D&C 100 7-8 "[A] commandment I give unto you, that ye shall declare whatsoever thing ye declare in my name, in solemnity of heart, in the spirit of meekness, in all things.

And I give unto you this promise, that inasmuch as ye do this the Holy Ghost shall be shed forth in bearing record unto all things whatsoever ye shall say."