Hey all!
This week has been crazy to say the least! We are working closely with the ward/stake leadership and
members. The Lord has blessed us with a
miraculous 20 lessons this week (compared to the 3 that we had my first week in
this area). I cannot stress enough, the
impact that members have in this work. Please do all you can to spread the Word
of this amazing Gospel and the happiness that it brings :)
I've said it plenty of time, and I’ll say it again!
The purpose of this life is to have joy! And what brings the most joy in this
world? The Gospel of course!!! The Gospel of Jesus Christ brings nothing but
happiness. The people in it may not be perfect (plus, why would we go to church
if we were perfect?), but the doctrine is.
2 Nephi 2:25 - "..[M]en are, that they might have
joy."
Ok so now onto the scary part of the week...
So this past Saturday we did some yard work for a widow
in one of our wards. Afterward, we walked all the way home. I hopped in the
shower and my companion, Elder Smith laid down on his bed and was waiting for
me to get out, so he could shower. While he was waiting, he dozed off. I got out, got dressed and decided to let him
sleep for a bit and then I was gonna wake him up in 15 minutes to get ready for
our next appointment. I opened my Book of Mormon and started reading while
waiting for the time to wake him up. When the time came, I walked into the room
and he was kinda of (what I thought was) twitching in his sleep. I watched him
for about 20 seconds, no knowing if he was joking around or something. After that 20 seconds, I kinda felt like
something was wrong. So I said,
"Hey Elder Smith, we gotta go!"
I got no repsonse and the "twitching" continued. So I went
over to him and said the same thing again.
When I saw his face, his eyes were open and he was like foaming from the
mouth!!!! He was completely
unresponsive! The twitching turned into flailing. It was insane!!! I panicked
and tried shaking him because it didn't register in my brain what was
happening. Elder Smith is a type 1 diabetic and takes shots to produce his
insulin. He didn't formally show me what to do in case of an emergency
situation like this, so I grabbed the nearest needle he had, filled it with the
insulin, and shot it into his thigh!! Turns out, his blood sugar was
dangerously low and that is what caused this seizure. Apparently, he didn't eat
enough sugars to make up for the hard work he did at the service project. So,
insulin (which helps the body lower the blood sugar) would have made it
even worse!!! Turns out, when I tried to fill the needle with insulin, I did it
incorrectly and only drew air from the vile!!! So I shot air into his thigh!!!! Which also could have killed him!!! It was SO scary! If you have ever seen anyone up close having
a seizure, it's freakin’ scary! I had no idea what to do or what was actually
happening. After giving him the shot, I ran upstairs and got the dad of the
family that we live with. He came
running down and said they had seen this exact thing happen before. He was very calm. We called 911 and the paramedics showed up
within about 7 minutes. About 30 minutes later, Elder Smith was conscious and
back to normal! This was definitely the
scariest moment of my mission thus far!!
On a brighter note (haha), we were able to attend the
Bountiful Temple this past Tuesday. I love the Temple. The peace it brings is
indescribable! Just another amazing blessing that this amazing Gospel brings!
We also were able to speak in one of our ward's
sacrament meetings yesterday! I am so
grateful for the opportunities I have to preach this Gospel. I love being able
to feel the Spirit teach through me.
The Lord has blessed us with another particular
spiritual experience this week… After a good lesson with a inactive couple this week, we asked if there
was anything we could do for them before we left. The husband was quick to say
his wife wanted a Priesthood blessing, because they have been trying to have a
baby, but have been unable to do so. The wife broke down crying as soon as he
mentioned it, and accepted the blessing. Giving a Priesthood blessing is always
an amazing experience. Again, the feeling of the Spirit being able to work
through you as a vessel is such an amazing feeling. At the close of the
blessing, both the husband and wife were in tears. They thanked us and invited
us back in a few days.
This Gospel brings joy. It brings happiness. I've come to the conclusion, that you do not need the
Gospel to be happy. That is a fact. But I have also come to the conclusion that
you do need the Gospel in order to maximize the amount of happiness that you
can have in this life.
I've seen all types of people back home and especially
here on my mission. And let me tell you, the happiest people I've met are those
who live this great Gospel of Jesus Christ. The happiest people are those who
are fully using His Atonement in their lives. This Gospel brings maximum
happiness, and I can testify of that.
This has been an eventful week, and I hope yours has
been the same. I love all of you and thank you for the constant emails, letters
and support! Hope all is well, wherever you may be! Stay close to the Lord,
stay busy, and stay safe!!
Much Love,
Elder Carroll
My favorite scripture this week - Mormon 7:7 - "And he hath brought to pass
the redemption of the world, whereby he that is found guiltless before him at
the judgment day hath it given unto him to dwell in the presence of God in his
kingdom, to sing ceaseless praises with the choirs above, unto the Father, and
unto the Son, and unto the Holy Ghost, which are one God, in a state of
happiness which hath no end."
Laser Tag with the zone at Boondocks!
A great friend, Elder Ngametua of the
Cook Island!
The Elders in our district at the
Temple!
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