WEEK 67: Become As Little Children

 Mark 15:16 

"And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, 

and preach the gospel to every creature."

October 27, 2014

Hey!

Missionary work is so satisfying!  Although it's not always fun and joyous happy times every second out here in the field, the good days always triumph over the bad. The days can be long, but the weeks are short.  The reward of testifying and having the knowledge of this Gospel by far outweighs any trial or obstacle that stands in our path.  I love the opportunity of challenge!

Alissa is still solid for being baptized this weekend! She has a lot of member friends that are planning on coming so there should be a great turnout for her baptism!  We are still trying to work with her Less-Active member aunt and uncle whom she lives with, but the progress is slow.  She will not be able to be baptized by her uncle, but hopefully in the Lord's time, he will have more of a desire to come back into activity.

Great news!  Brad is now on date for baptism on November 29th!  He's an honest truth seeker (probably more than anyone I have ever taught) and is steadily reading from the scriptures, praying and coming to church! So excited for him! :)

This past Saturday we were able to take Brad, his wife, Alissa, and some of her friends to Temple Square for tours and to see the Joseph Smith movie (Prophet of the Restoration).  I love that movie!  I've seen it probably 10 times on the mission and each and every time I get a greater confirmation that Joseph truly was chosen to be God's Prophet and mouthpiece.  Every single time I am able to testify of the truthfulness of Joseph's words, I can feel the Spirit so strongly.  I can testify with power and confidence that Joseph truly saw what he said he saw in the grove.  What a marvelous and life changing experience for all of us who come to a knowledge that that event truly did happen.

Alissa and her friend with us at Temple Square

I cannot stress enough, the importance of reading and pondering for ourselves, the words of Christ and His prophets.

"What I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken, and I excuse not myself; and though the heavens and the earth pass away, my word shall not pass away, but shall all be fulfilled, whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same." (D&C 1:38)

If we would just be willing to take the time and effort to more constantly read His word, we would be so much better off, and would find so much happiness in doing so.  If we are too busy to read our scriptures, we're busier than God ever intended us to be.

"And inasmuch as they were humble they might be made strong, and blessed from on high, and receive knowledge from time to time." (D&C 1:28)

We must humble ourselves and put the Lord first in all that we do.  If we make time for the Lord, He will make time for us.

Yesterday in one of our wards, we had the privilege of being edified by the small children in their Primary Program. It struck me, at the short, simple, but powerful truths that were being taught and recited. The Lord once counseled:

"Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven." (Matt. 8:2-3)

We must humble ourselves, and become humble and meek and submissive to whatever the Lord see's fit to put us through. We must abandon our pride and follow Him. He'll be right there beside us every step of the way and our lives will be that much easier.

I love this work. I love the Lord. I love the plainness and simplicity that comes from His teachings. I know as we follow them, we will find so much happiness not only in this life, but in the life to come.

Love you all! Keep up the good work and stay close to the Lord in all you do!

Love,

Elder Carroll

"Press forward, feasting on the word of Christ.

Receive his name, rejoicing in his might.

Come unto God; find everlasting light." Hymn #81 v. 2 Press Forward, Saints

WEEK 66- They Are The Words of Christ!

October 20, 2014

Hellooooooo!

I loveeeeeee missionary work! The joy that comes from proclaiming the Gospel to others.. I can't even describe to you! It's marvelous.

Alissa is still excited to be baptized on November 1st! Things are going well and she is steadily progressing.

One of the new investigators we found last week, Brad, is doing super well too! He's met with missionaries in the past, but nothing ever really sparked his interest. That has completely changed now though! He is full of questions. We had a great lesson on "opening the door for Christ" to come into our lives. He completely agreed that opening that door is something he wants to do. He has been reading the Book of Mormon with his wife (an active member), praying, and he came to church with us yesterday for all 3 hours! At the end of our first lesson, before we had a chance to set up a return appointment, Brad said anxiously, "When are you guys come back??"... haha I love it!! I am so excited for him. It's amazing what the Lord can do for us, when we are willing to let him in.

So you remember Patrick? The guy I was telling you about last week, who got baptized a year ago (along with his 3 boys), and just got sealed to his wife a few weeks ago. He is freakin’ awesome!! He wants to share the Gospel with EVERYONE!  Because it's helped him  Because he knows the happiness that comes from living it. The other night we had an appointment to come visit him and his family, and when we showed up.. he had his non-member 13 year old little brother there for us to teach!! So now we're steadily teaching him! His name is Jordan and he is a super sharp kid!  Came to church with us yesterday. This work is so great!!

Patrick and his family!

The other day I had the opportunity to ask a potential baptismal candidate during her baptismal interview, why she wanted to be baptized. She responded, "I want to be happy."... That's what this life is all about people!! "..Men are that they might have joy." (2 Nephi 2:25) That's what this Gospel has to offer--Everlasting happiness. I can testify that the happiest people I know, are the ones who learn and live the Gospel of Jesus Christ and it's teachings.

Can I just say... the Book of Mormon is TRUE! It's so true! It's so real. I can't express my excitement about it over this email... It's truly the word of God. My testimony echo's that of Joseph Smiths:

"The Book of Mormon is the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man will get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book.”

If we put some effort into actually reading this divine book that has been given to us for our benefit, we can find so much happiness. It is by reading the Book of Mormon that we can know individually, for ourselves, that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is God's true and living church. 

If you have 15 minutes, please use it to watch this powerful talk by Elder Holland on the Book of Mormon:

I know that "no wicked man could write such a book [as the Book of Mormon]; and no good man would write it, unless it were true and he were commanded of God to do so.”

"But he that believeth these things which I have spoken, him will I visit with the manifestations of my Spirit, and he shall know and bear record. For because of my Spirit he shall know that these things are true; for it persuadeth men to do good. And whatsoever thing persuadeth men to do good is of me; for good cometh of none save it be of me. I am the same that leadeth men to all good; he that will not believe my words will not believe me—that I am; and he that will not believe me will not believe the Father who sent me. For behold, I am the Father, I am the light,and the life, and the truth of the world." (Ether 4:11-12)

I know that any honest seeker of truth can know for a surety of the divinity by simply reading it, and asking God if it is his word. The Book of Mormon only persuades men to do good. To follow Christ.

"And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ,we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies,that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins." (2 Nephi 25:26)

Some people in the world say the Book of Mormon is not the word of God. Some say it's inspired by the devil.. Well, Christ once counseled the Pharisees:

"Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand. And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand?" (Matthew 12:25-26)

How can the Book of Mormon be of the devil if the whole dang book's purpose is to convince people that Jesus is the Christ!? It can't. It's of God and inspired by God.

Nephi bears a powerful testimony of which I give my 2nd witness:

" Hearken unto these words (of the Book of Mormon) and believe in Christ; and if ye believe not in these words believe in Christ. And if ye shall believe in Christ ye will believe in these words, for they are the words of Christ, and he hath given them unto me; and they teach all men that they should do good. And if they are not the words of Christ, judge ye—for Christ will show unto you, with power and great glory, that they are his words, at the last day" (2 Nephi 33:10-11)

I know these words are true and will defend them forever.

Love you all! Keep up the good work, stay close to Him, and the Lord will bless you!

Love,

Elder Carroll

Proselyting in Tooele County

Doing service in Erda!

WEEK 65- Where Do We Stand?

OCTOBER 13, 2014

Fun on the Farm

Erda burgers at the Erda ballpark!

The Great Salt Lake

Family and Frieeeends,

   Been a great week of missionary work!  Alissa is super solid still for baptism on November 1st.  We went to Temple Square this past Saturday and had a great lesson with the Sister Missionaries! We also found 2 new investigators yesterday! Both have met with missionaries in the past, but neither have read or prayed about the Book of Mormon or Joseph Smith... We're gonna help them change that, and let the Lord take it from there! :)

    Over the course of the last few months of serving the Lord full-time, I have been blessed to come to a great knowledge and understanding of the importance of putting ourselves where we need to be. Or, "standing in holy places". The importance of acting. Personal conversion starts when we feel something. And if we are not putting ourselves in places where we can feel something (the Spirit), we will never become personal converted. If we are putting ourselves in "unholy" places or flirting with temptation, it doesn't take much for the Adversary to catch us in his snare. We as humans are so weak.. But with the strength of our God and Savior, we can overcome anything. If we do not take it upon ourselves to act (read from the scriptures/words of the Prophets and Apostles, ponder, pray, and attend our church meetings), we can't expect to know the things we wish to know. We can't expect to have a burning testimony of this true Church, Joseph Smith, the Book of Mormon, or of Christ. And with that burning testimony of this Gospel, comes so much joy. I can't even begin to describe it to you.

    This past week we were at a church building and got asked by the youth group there if we would like to be in a "movie" they are making. We agreed, and they explained that they just needed to film us telling the camera "what we stand for". That really made me think. What do I stand for?

    What do you stand for? Alma asks an interesting series of questions that we can use to evaluate our own personal lives:

"And now behold, I ask of you, my brethren of the church, have ye spiritually been born of God? Have ye received his image in your countenances? Have ye experienced this mighty change in your hearts?" (Alma 5:14)

    Have we? If the answer is no to any of these questions, what are we doing about it? What will we do about it? Will we act? Will we repent and change? With the help of the Lord, we can. And trust me, it's so worth it.

    In the past couple of weeks, we have been privileged to take a Recent Convert of about a year, our on splits and visits with us! His name is Patrick Willoughby, and actually had an article in the July 2014 Ensign published about him and his 3 boys.  Here's the link

JUL 2014 Ensign Article about Patrick 

Patrick came from a rough background, but has completely turned his life over to the Lord. He is one of the most humble people that I know. He is the only member in his family (with an inactive member mom) and both of his brothers are serving lifetime sentences in prison. He's tatted up and down his whole body! haha He say's he likes to wear short-sleeved shirts to church, to help others know that it's okay to make mistakes. Patrick was baptized and was sealed to his wife last Friday! So he's on fire with the Spirit! So happy for him and his family. You should hear him pray.. it's so simple and childlike. Patrick is proof that people can change. With the Atonement, we can all change and become like our loving Father in heaven.

    If you haven't seen the new church-produced movie, "Meet the Mormons", you need to go see it now!!! Our Mission President got his hands on a copy about a month before it came out in theaters, so our whole mission was able to see it! It isn't a movie to "convert" the world, but more to help people gain a better understanding about what us "Mormons" are all about! It followed 6 LDS families from around the world, and shows their lives and what makes us as Latter-Day Saints, tick. Go see it. Take your friends to see it! I promise you will not be disappointed.

    On a closing note…one of the investigators we are currently teaching said something at our lesson yesterday that really stood out to me. She said, "Even if we never come to an agreement on our religious beliefs, I will never doubt that you two are messengers from God.".... God puts us in other’s paths for a reason, and vice versa.  We just must be willing to act upon those opportunities to serve Him and His children that we are given. Our joy can be so great if we will just act.

    Keep up the good work, and I promise the Lord will bless you! :)

Love,

Elder Carroll

"Seek not for riches but for wisdom, and behold, the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto you, and then shall you be made rich. Behold, he that hath eternal life is rich." (D&C 6:7)

Week 64- Does the Lord trust me?

Headed to General Conference!

Helloooooo!!

Isn't this Gospel just wonderful!? It is!! What a great and marvelous opportunity we had this weekend to listen and observe our Lord's beloved Prophets and Apostles. Elder Burt and I had the opportunity to attend 3 of the 5 sessions at the Conference Center itself. The Spirit in the room when President Monson walks in every time is so surreal. I love it! How blessed are we to have a Prophet that is called of God to lead and guide us. If you did not have the opportunity to see all of the sessions, I invite you to go online and watch the ones you missed! We cannot miss out on the blessing of receiving revelation through the words and Spirit of the brethren.

Our guests for Conference!

Real quick about one of the talks that stood out to me the most... President Uchtdorf's talk (It's always President Uchtdorf haha), "Lord, is it I?”  It really put things into perspective for me.  I definitely can work on my pride!  Although the Lord has worked a miracle on helping me in realizing that, I still have a long ways to go! :)  How easy is it to look at someone else's faults or mistakes, and completely miss our own.  It's pretty dang easy if you ask me!  As President Uchtdorf has instructed us, we must constantly be asking "Lord, is it I?  How can I improve? Won't you help me overcome my personal challenges and weaknesses?" He will be right there, with his arm stretched forth, waiting for us to grab a hold. How great and merciful our loving Lord is. It's truly amazing!

Another few questions I often ask myself... "Does the Lord trust me?  Am I doing something that He would not be pleased with?  If so, what is it?  And how can I change and become better?" If there's one thing I've learned on my mission, it's that the more the Lord can trust us, the happier we will be. It's that straight forward.  Let us re-evaluate ourselves and look deep inside our hearts.  Are we acting, in any aspect of our lives, in a way that would be displeasing to the Lord?  Let us use his graceful Atonement and rise to the next level. The Lord expects us to follow Him and to do it well.

One of the greatest things the Lord has made very apparent to me while out here in the field, is the importance of learning of Him…

"Learn of me, and listen to my words; walk in the meekness of my Spirit, 

and you shall have peace in me." (D&C 19:23)

It is honestly the only way we can come to a knowledge and surety of anything in this life, for ourselves and for our own personal conversion. The Lord has commanded us over and over to "treasure up in [our] minds continually the words of life".  If you know me at all, you would know that back home, I couldn't stand reading a book.  I would much rather play my guitar or rock out to Green Day.  Not saying that I don't like those things anymore, but because I have been serving the Lord full-time for the last while, I have come to LOVE reading. Every P-day, one of the highlights of the day is going to D.I. and looking for good books (cause they're so cheap there!) :) haha!

"Verily, verily, I say unto thee, blessed art thou for what thou hast done; 

for thou hast inquired of me, and behold, 

as often as thou hast inquired thou hast received instruction of my Spirit. 

If it had not been so, thou wouldst not have 

come to the place where thou art at this time." (D&C 6:14)

We must constantly be doing our best to "receive instruction from His Spirit." One of the best ways to do that is by searching His words!

"Seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom; 

seek learning, even by study and also by faith." (D&C 88:118)

If you can't tell, I love this!!! There isn't hardly enough study time in the day anymore.

"That which is of God is light; and he that receiveth light, 

and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light 

groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day." (D&C 50:24)

When we put the effort to receive "further light and knowledge" from God, He will then allow us more if we put this knowledge to use. If we act and not just wait to be acted upon. As Nephi, I too "rejoice in plainness". The words of life are easy and simple. We just must put in the effort to be in tune with the Spirit. We must live worthy of it. I know that in order to become personally converted, we must put in some effort. We must pay the price.

Our friend Alissa, is doing great and she is on date for baptism on November 1st! So excited for her and her family. She is solid.

My prayers go out to you, stay close to the Lord and I promise He will bless you! :)

Love,

Elder Carroll

My favorite scripture this week: Alma 29:9 - "I know that which the Lord hath commanded me, and I glory in it. I do not glory of myself, but I glory in that which the Lord hath commanded me; yea, and this is my glory, that perhaps I may be an instrument in the hands of God to bring some soul to repentance; and this is my joy."

Elder Burt and I after the Priesthood session

A couple of Missionaries.

Week 63- Let Us Look On The Eternal Perspective

An amazing family that we have grown to love!

Augh!!!! My companion left me!!!

Hey!

I love this mission! I have grown and learned so much.  Although I have looong ways to go, I am grateful for the light and knowledge my loving Lord has blessed me with.  With the 2 hours to study every morning, I have come to have such greater and stronger faith in my Savior Jesus Christ.  The word of God (scriptures) is so amazing. There are soooo many things to be learned.  If we would only read and apply the principles we can learn from the Book of Mormon and the Bible, we would be so much better off! (Mosiah 2:41) I know the Book of Mormon is true and can strongly testify of its divine nature.  It's true.  I know it!

With all of the cares, confusion, and worries of the world, it is sometimes easy to get lost in the not-so-important things we encounter in our mortal lives.  We get so busy with work, school, and play, that we often forget the purpose that we are here.  It is by looking through the eyes of the Eternity that will help us focus on things that are most important--The things that the Lord would have us focus on!  We chose to come to earth for (mostly) these reasons… To experience having a body, trials that will help us grow and having joy through choosing the right and following the Lord.  We chose to leave our pre-mortal life to prove ourselves worthy of living once again in the presence of our Father in Heaven in His Celestial kingdom. That is the purpose of life! If only we constantly reminded ourselves of this divine purpose... We will still have trials and hardships that help us grow, but making day-to-day decisions would be a whole lot easier and we would be led to make the righteous decision more often than not, if not, ALWAYS.

Because we (mostly myself) all make mistakes every day of our lives, we have to choose to repent, or change. We must change our thoughts and actions from what we want, to what the Lord wants. Something that I'm sure we are all working on every day is Self-Mastery--mastery over the fallen flesh. We do this by doing things consistently. We repent daily by reading our scriptures, praying, faithfully attending our church meetings and the temple if possible. If we are not doing these things, I invite us to repent, and become better. Life is about doing things consistently.  If someone wants to become strong, they must exercise consistently.  If someone wishes to become a more skilled musician, they must practice consistently.  If our goal is to master our fallen-state mortal bodies, we must consistently strive to stay close to the Lord.

Revelations 3:20 - "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me."

The Lord is always standing at the door, knocking.  It is up to us to open it. Now, how do we open this door?  Again, we do it by reading, praying, and inviting the Spirit into our lives.  We must be consistent. His grace is sufficient for all men.  For every one of us, no matter what we have done.  A sinner big or small, there is nothing (besides the unpardonable sins, which I'm almost positive we are safe from) we cannot receive forgiveness for.  I am eternally grateful for the love that our Savior has for me, and for you.  His Atonement is infinite.

Notice, there is no door knob.  We must open it from the inside.

It is "Because of Him"

Check out this AMAZING video!!

" And what is it that ye shall hope for? Behold I say unto you that ye shall have hope through the atonement of Christ and the power of his resurrection, to be raised unto life eternal, and this because of your faith in him according to the promise." - Moroni 7:41

This past week we were able to attend a Family Home Evening with a young family. The lesson was short and to the point, but I couldn't help but notice the Spirit that was present in the room with us.  The important of FHE in our homes is so great.  We must teach our children the Gospel, in our homes.  This is where they will learn.  Sure they'll learn at church, but it won't be the same without the correct principles of the Gospel taught within the walls of our individual homes.

General Conference is coming up fast this next weekend!!  So stoked!  What an amazing opportunity we have to listen and receive counsel from our beloved prophets.  I invite everyone to attend as many sessions of Conference as they can!  Please do not miss out on this wonderful privilege we are blessed with.

Thanks to everyone that still reads my letters (some missionaries and friends call them "sermons" haha)! Thanks for your continual letters, emails, love, and support. Love you all, keep up the good work and I promise the Lord will bless you!!

Much Love,

~Elder Carroll

Week 62 Ogden, UT Temple Re-dedication!!

Hi all!

Another amazing week of the Lords work has come and goneeeee!

I was able to attend 2 baptisms back in one of my old area of Bountiful—one for Chelsea and one for Amber!! Chelsea is married to a Returned Missionary who recently has gotten back into activity.  She was raised Catholic but never really went to mass.  I am soooo happy for her, her husband Joe and her decision to more fully follow her Savior Jesus Christ in her life.

Chelsea and her husband Joseph at her baptism!

Amber is a similar situation. Her husband was raised in the church and only became active about 7 years ago. They've been married for only about a year.  I am so blessed to have been able to work with them and enjoy the Spirit in their home as we taught the discussions. Both Chelsea/Joe and Amber/Tim are planning on getting sealed in the Temple in a years’ time :)

We have transfers this Tuesday, and I will be staying in Erda!! I will be getting a new companion, Elder Burt!!!!! I've been lucky enough to know Elder Burt for about a year now and I am soooo stoked to serve with him! He's from Washington state and has been out for about 17 months!

I have worked the hardest I have ever worked on my mission, in these past 6 weeks. If you haven't noticed, I haven't been writing too much about the people we're teaching... and well it's because we didn't have too many people to teach! haha. But! This past week, we have picked up 6 new investigators, 3 of which are on date for baptism!! The Lord has truly blessed us and shown us miracles. I have such a strong testimony that The Lord works in mysterious ways, and in His own due time. If we will just have faith in Him, trust Him, and obey, everything will work out. I know it.

We have the amazing opportunity and privilege of attending 1 of the 3 Temple Re-dedications for the Ogden, UT Temple. The temple was closed down in 2011 for renovation. But, was eventually just torn to the ground so that they could start from scratch. The dedication was awesome! A truly kindred Spirit could be felt as we were taught by our beloved Prophet and Apostles, as well as during the dedicatory prayer itself.

The Ogden Temple

Elder Bednar spoke and mentioned a few great points about the contrast between the Temple and the world we live in today, that I would like to share. First, he mentioned that as the things of this world are quickly tearing families apart, the Temple is strongly sealing families together by the power and authority of the Priesthood. Second, as the world is struggling in constant confusion, in the Temple we are able to gain knowledge and wisdom about so many different things. And lastly, in this world today, people are so worried about their image, and what others think about them.  But in the Temple, all are equal and dress in white.  God is no respecter of persons. Being able to attend the Temple Re-dedication was such an uplifting experience. I am so grateful to be able to partake in the blessings of the Temple that God has in store for all of His children.  I know true doctrine, covenants, and ordinances have been restored to the earth in our time.  What a great blessing and knowledge we have.

I had the great opportunity to interview an individual for baptism this past week. I am so blessed with the chance to do so. I love being able to talk to soon-to-be recent converts. Their faith is so simple, yet powerful. Whenever I have the chance during the interview, I ask each and every candidate why they personally want to be baptized. Answers vary from person to person, but this week I think I got my favorite answer from Derek, who is about 40 years old.  After asking him why he wanted to be baptized, he smiled and said "I want to go to the Temple and be sealed to my family forever."  I can't explain to you the joy that filled into my heart when those words came out of his mouth! Ahhhhhh! I just want to jump and scream for joy!!! This is what it is all about!! Getting to the Temple. being sealed to our families and partaking in the blessings of our God. I love it!!

I invite all those worthy and able, to go more often to the Temple! To feel of the Spirit more fully in our lives. As a personal representative of Jesus Christ, I promise you that as you do so, you will be blessed-- both temporally and spiritually. Please do not deprive yourself of the blessings of the Temple! They are truly amazing and we are so incredibly blessed to be able to attend. Especially if you live in AZ or UT! How blessed we are to have so many Temples, so close to us. Let us do our best to attend the Temple regularly and make it even more so part of our lives :)

"There was no other good enough

To pay the price of sin.

He only could unlock the gate

Of heav'n and let us in." 

- Hymn: "There Is a Green Hill Far Away"

This is a line from one of my favorite hymns. I am so grateful and appreciative of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I know it is by Him that all mankind may be saved as long as we obey and love him. We all fall, but our Brother is right there with his arm extended, to lift us up. It is up to us to grab ahold of his all-saving grace. He will not make us clean against our will. We must come unto him and partake in the saving ordinances that he has provided for us. What a marvelous knowledge we are blessed with. I cannot express through words, my love and gratitude for our beloved Redeemer.

I can strongly testify of the truth of this Gospel, and the happiness that comes by living it. I know that by following the Prophet of our day, treasuring up the words of life, and loving and obeying our loving God, we will find joy in this life and everlasting joy in the life to come.

Love you all, thanks to everyone for your emails and letters of love and support! Keep up the good work, stay close to the Lord and he will bless you!! :)

~Elder Carroll

Write me at:

Elder Hayden Carroll

1535 S. Edison St.

SLC, UT 84115

Preachin’ amongst the alpacas.

On an exchange in Wendover!

Week 61 Anxiously Engaged In a Good Cause!

Hi all!

This has been a fantastic week!! I LOVE this work!!!!!! :)

First off, a young girl that I was privileged to teach in Bountiful, was baptized this past Saturday! Cami is her name! She is 9 and her family went less-active when Cami was diagnosed with cancer a few years ago.  With Cami undergoing chemo, radiation, and a bone-marrow-transplant, she was not able to go outside the house for months. Thus, the family didn't go to church.  After Cami got better(cancer free!), they were just in the habit of not going.  But Cami's dad was able to baptize her, and the family is now returning to church :) I love the mission!!

For her baptism, Cami sang "Families Can Be Together Forever."  

Here is a version of that song.  Take a listen...

"I have a family here on earth.

They are so good to me.

I want to share my life with them through all eternity.

Fam'lies can be together forever

Through Heavn'ly Father's plan.

I always want to be with my own family,

And the Lord has shown me how I can.

The Lord has shown me how I can."

The lyrics stood out to me so greatly. This is what it's all about, people!! Although baptism is a huge step, it's only registration, not graduation! :) Graduation would be for a family to be sealed in the right place, by the right authority! How blessed we are to be apart of this great and wondrous Gospel!

Speaking of the temple, we just got back from a session at the Salt Lake Temple!! I love the temple so much. What a kindred Spirit to be felt within the walls of our Father's house.

This past week, one of the ward members let us help him out with a service project.  We got to help him harvest honey from his 100 beehives that he farms!  It was good work and a great experience. Something that stood out to me today in the Temple... There are beehive symbols all around the entire temple! On the walls, on the ground, on the doorknobs, everywhere!  As I’m sure there are so many things to be taken out of this symbol, I would say one of them would be the symbolism of the honey bee's and how they are always busy and working hard.  As with the Saints, we should always be "anxiously engaged in a good cause" (D&C 58:27). An Idol mind is the devil's playground. We must fill our minds and lives with good things and enjoy the joy and blessings that accompany them! :)

A few days ago, my companion and I went to Wal-Mart to get some missionary supplies. As we were swiping our items at the self-checkout line, a guy runs up behind us and says "Hey Elders! I got this for you!" After thanking him and talking for a second, we came to find out that he served right here in the Utah Salt Lake City mission ('98-'00).  His first area was here in Tooele, and he covered the entire valley--just him and his companion!! Their area went all the way to Wendover, NV! Through conversation, he mentioned that he was able to see over 130 people enter into the waters of baptism while he was serving! We asked him if he still kept in contact with any of them and he said "No way man, I’d be lucky if even 2 of them were still active. They were just all numbers to me."... My heart dropped!  As the conversation continued, it was very apparent that he was not proud of his actions on his mission service, but I could tell that he had repented. He was a good man!

It really just made me think... the people that we invite into the Gospel are REAL people! They are not a number or statistic!! They are a beloved soul of our Heavenly Father and he needs them back.  We must put some real urgency into this Hastening of the Work of Salvation! I know that as we do, we will be blessed. We will find joy. We will spread joy.

D&C 18:10,15 - "Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God. And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father!"

I had the great blessing and opportunity to interview a young girl for baptism this past week.  Because she was over the age of 8 (9 yrs old), she had to be interviewed by a missionary.  She was such a cute little girl, so meek and humble. It was just a reminder to me how we all must be as little children, in order to enter into our Fathers rest.  We must drop completely our pride, grudges, or hatred towards any other who may have done us wrong. It may be hard at times, but we must remember that we may only obtain forgiveness, once we are willing to forgive.

I am so grateful for this amazing service that our God has blessed me with.  I know, with every fiber of my body that this is God's true and living kingdom once again restored on the Earth. The Prophet Joseph truly did see what he said he saw. He saw God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ. And for this my knowledge I am eternally grateful.

Love you all! Thanks so everyone for the emails/letters! I love them!! Hope you have a wonderful and eventful week! Stay busy, stay safe, and stay close to our Lord! :)

Much love,

Elder Carroll

My favorite scripture this week- Alma 26:12 - " Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things; yea, behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name forever."

Write me at:

Elder Hayden Carroll

1535 S. Edison St.

SLC, UT 84115

David Bowie Chicken!!!