Hi family and friends!

This week was another great one! I just love my mission so much. Still trying to adjust...I've been pretty sick this week as my stomach tries to adjust to all this food, but learned that it's not about me so i just need to push through it and think of others.

First of all...Bednar! It was seriously incredible to hear from him! There are only 100 missionaries here at the CCM so we got to shake his hand after. He talked for a little bit, but most of the time was spent talking about teaching with the spirit and then towards the end he did a question and answer and it was awesome. My companion asked "How can we completely forget ourselves and think of others?" He had his wife talk about serving as a mother, and I was bawling in the first row... (Oh yeah...I sat in the front row so they were smiling at me whenever I started crying) hahaha. FINALLY MY TEARS ARE GETTING ME SOMEWHERE.  Towards the end he asked all the missionaries, "How has the way we've talked today been more effective teaching you than if I were to just stand here and speak for 4 hours?" (Yes...It was really 4 hours. We were all starving by the end. Ha) I had a thought come into my mind...so I raised my hand, and when I stood up...the thought I was thinking didn't come out, but I started talking about how much teaching with the spirit can help teach your investigators and when I sat down realized that whatever I said was way better than what I was thinking. Ha. Plus...Elder Bendar said, "Great insight Sister Stone...that's wonderful" So...I'll never forget that. haha.

For tonight's devotional I got some elders and sisters to sing the song "If any of you lack wisdom" that we sang in an upstage fireside.  It sounds so good. So we'll be doing that for our musical number at the devotional tonight. Sometimes people will come find me during free time and just ask me to play the piano so they can hear music...and of course I am super excited to do that! I'm so glad I brought all that music Mom!

One big thing that has happened this week was that we had a chocolate fountain at dinner!!! It was SO good. Todos Norte Americanos were SO excited. We were dipping bread, peanuts, oranges...pretty much everything you can imagine. We started getting a little carried away when we got the mugs from breakfast and filled them up and started DRINKING the chocolate. It's quite the delicacy here. Hahaha. The cook stood up and said, "Norte Americanos...no mas chocolate." HAHA. It was so good though.

Today is P day so we get to go to the temple in about an hour. I'm so excited! I've been making a list of temples I want to visit before I die, and today I get to cross one off. It's going to be so cool...especially because the end of the session is in Spanish. It'll be interesting.

Last P day we went out onto the street and got the shop, and walk around...it was so cool. We bought tons of super unhealthy cheap candy, and we eat all day during class and our teachers always ask for some. It's so funny. PLUS. Oh my goodness...the churros here are unreal. They are basically fried bread with carmel in the middle...you get them from the street vendors and they're equivalent to like..50 cents in the US. We talk about them in class and drool thinking about them. Ha.

OH! I forgot to tell you the biggest thing. So...they called all the Norte Americanos leaving next week, and told us that we're actually leaving on Sunday morning early instead of Wednesday because Bednar is still in town and he is having a conference with all the mission presidents in the area, and they need to get us to our missions before they presidents leave for the conference. Can you believe that? I leave the CCM in 5 days. We're all freaking out...and can't really focus anymore. haha.

Another thing that is pretty funny is that one of my teachers Hermano Espanosa is JOEY from friends. Like...exactly...but Latino. haha. It's so awesome. It's gotten to the point where I can't talk to him without laughing...which is probably why he thinks I'm so happy all the time. He looks, talks, and acts exactly like him. And also...while I'm on the topic of friends...does anyone remember the episode where Rachel and Phoebe go running together and Phoebe runs super weird so Rachel tries to get out of running with her? Well...my old companion Hermana Schoppmann runs EXACTLY like that. It's SO cute. I miss her so much! No one else from our district in Provo has gotten Visa's yet...and since we're leaving so soon, it probably wouldn't be worth it if they did get them to send them to la CCM.

Something cool that happened this week was that Hermana Harmon and I asked if we could get blessings from the Elders in our district before we left for our missions so they gave us blessings on Sunday night. They decided that they all want them after ours so I'm glad I said something. The Elder that I asked to give my blessing did such an incredible job. It was awesome. He said things in the blessing that I've been thinking about but never said to my district, and I was just so amazed at how in tune with the spirit he was. I wrote down some things that I liked from the blessing as soon as it was done so I could remember them. One thing that I'll just share with you that he said was this. He said, "Carli, these next 18 months will be some of the most difficult in your life, but will bring you so much joy.  When you look back on your mission, you will always remember it as a wonderful time and decision that you made. Because of your mission you will gain experiences that you will share with your children, and those experiences will strengthen THEIR testimonies!" It was so cool...especially because I've felt in the last few weeks that this mission is NOT for me...or even for the people that I teach, but is for my children...and without ever saying anything to anyone about that he just confirmed that to me. It was so cool. I love the Priesthood so much. Thanks for being worthy to give blessings Chandler, Dad and Marcus because women appreciate it so much. As soon as we said we wanted blessings the Elders stood up, put their coats on and it was like they were new men.

I'm so grateful for the things I've learned here already. I can't believe how fast time is going...and it will only get faster.

Sounds like things are going good at home. Jealous that Chandler got to go to Vegas. That was one of my favorite memories ever! I've actually been thinking a ton about that this week remembering that you would be there! You'll have to take me along again for mommy daughter time when I get home! :)

The Elders and Hermanas here are so awesome. We all get along so well! I love every one of them...except one that made fun of me the other day...but I prayed for Charity and to just love him, and the next day it was all okay and he was nice to me again. Haha. 

I think I'm losing my sense of humor cause in class I tried to make a witty comment and it took a good 2 minutes to get out in English and then everyone sat there in silence as I laughed at myself and one elder said, "Was that a joke? Whatever that was, it just took my brain to a place it's never been before" hahaha. Oh no...the spanish is throwing me off.

BTW...I'm still bad at Spanish. I wrote Chandler a letter and the end was in Spanish...and when I went to re-read it I realized that it made almost no sense. Haha...Oh well.

Love you all!

Go ahead and start writing me letters to my mission...I'll be there before you know it!

Talk to you soon! xoxoxo

Hermana Carli Stone

First time Proselyting!

Hola Familia!

Can you believe I'm actually in Peru? It seems pretty surreal still. haha. This week has been pretty crazy. It's insane how different the Peru and the Provo MTCs are.  The Provo MTC is super organized...like...over the top almost, and here they have no concept of time, and they just kind of do what they want, when they want. It's pretty funny.

First of all...THANK YOU to Cassy and Dan and their boys for the package full of love that I got the DAY before I left. I finished all the candy on Sunday when I shared it during devotional with all the Northe Americanos. They were like animals around the candy from the United States. haha.

So Saturday was probably the most crazy day so far.  We went proselyting...left the MTC and walked around teaching people in the Lima, East mission. I had my companion with me...and then we had a latina. Thank Heavens! Hermana Torrealva. She's a convert...speaks barely any English and has the biggest heart ever. I sat next to her on the bus both ways and tried to help her with English...and we just were speaking spanglish and people were laughing...and of course I was signing too...which doesn't help her at all. She really is amazing, and she was on FIRE. We got 16 contacts, taught 2 lessons, and gave out 2 books of mormon. Most companionships passed out 1 book of mormon and got 4 or 5 contacts. haha. Proselyting was HARD though. I did not expect it to be the way it was. I was shocked about how poor the people are...and still how happy they were. The kids would just be playing in the street with a piece of paper and be happy. It was so sweet. Hermana Torrealva kept asking me to bare my testimony...and my spanish was so terrible that when I would finish...she was repeat it back to the person in her spanish. It was pretty funny.

My companion Hermana Harmon is awesome. I seriously love her. She came from the Provo MTC which is such a blessing because the missionaries here are so different. They're kind of lazy actually. I think it's the culture. So...Hermana Harmon and I always go outside to study cause during personal study they just talk the whole time. It's sad, but I love that I have her and we get along really well. AND...the other day we were talking about boys and she has a missionary that is out right now in Farmington New Mexico...she pulled out of picture and guess who was her boyfriends trainer? Yep...Trevor Schmidt. We laughed about that for a while. She said he LOVED Trevor.

Yesterday during physical activity we got our whole district to play soccer and it was so fun! A bunch of the guys in our district played growing up, and two of the sisters...so we had a blast. It was so hot...but we were so tired of sitting in class all day that we were running like crazy. The red head jokes started yesterday when one of the Elders passed me the ball and yelled, "RED!" to get my attention....now all the elders call me Hermana Roho. haha. i knew that would happen eventually.

On Sunday they asked if I would do a special musical number in church, and thank heavens for my music binder I was prepared...sort of. I played and sang I need thee every hour (in English of course) and apparently everyone liked it so that was good. I've gotten quite the confidence booster since I got here. on sunday after church the elders started calling me Hermana sexy voice. HAHA. (that would never fly in provo...but here...it's not even a big deal) I realized that in Provo, you learn the Gospel, and in Peru you learn the language. I feel pretty special to be able to have BOTH. I've been pretty happy here, and I am SO grateful for the Lord's help cause I know I couldn't do this alone.

We also wanted to do a musical number for the latinas because they are only here for 2 weeks, and we lose this group today and get a "new batch of brownies" on Thursday...funny huh? Last night they asked if I had any music for a big group...YEAH I DO. We sang the EFY medley to them in English and they all cheered at the end. It was so sweet. I am so grateful that I never quit piano cause I have been playing a ton, and I love it! Sunday night before our devotional a bunch of people just gathered around the piano as I played and listened...it was so fun...plus MAJOR confidence booster that they all think I'm so good. I love it. Haha.

Yesterday my FAVORITE teacher (literally the sweetest man you will ever meet...who has a lisp and is SO difficult to understand) came up to me and said, "Que usted siempre feliz? Siempre sonrise...que?" Which basically means...You're always so happy, and always smiling? Why? hahaha. I just sat there and laughed...trying to figure out what the say in Spanish cause the poor guy doesn't speak hardly any English. He tries so hard though. It's so sweet. I finally said..."because I know Jesus loves me, and because you are the best teacher" haha he turned bright red. it was hilarious.

Anyway...Elder Bednar is HERE at the MTC as I'm emailing you right now. We haven't seen him yet..but he's speaking to us from 9:30-12:30. Amazing huh? We're all so excited! Two general authorities in one week. WOO! Also...the food here is incredible!! It makes everyone sick...which is not fun...ha, but I haven't had one thing that I don't like yet. Today is my Pday obviously...but only for the next 2 weeks. I leave this MTC 2 weeks from today. Isn't that insane? I've been out for a whole month! We get to leave the MTC on pday and go shopping and stuff, and usually go to the temple too, but since Bednar is coming we don't have time...which is totally fine. Ha. Leaving the MTC and going out to the "real world" here was so amazing. The people don't speak Spanish though...that's for sure. Haha. My Spanish is actually coming along pretty well...I taught a lesson last night and didn't even really use my notes...I was trying to let the spirit tell me what the say and I had a lot of thoughts come into my mind...putting them into Spanish is the tough part.

Anyway...I love you all SO much!

The mail system here is pretty crazy so don't worry about sending hand written letters until I get to Arequipa cause i don't know if i'll get them. I will get dear elders though if they are sent to this MTC. Thanks for all our your emails, and your love! I miss you a lot and think and pray for each of you. Choose the right!

Xoxo

Hermana Carli Stone


If you want to know who Elder David A. Bednar is click on his name below!
Elder Bednar 

 

Safe in Peru!

Hey there family!

I made it to Peru!! Can you believe it? Our flights yesterday were long, but I sat next to Hermana Kahle on both flights, and the flight from Atlanta to Lima wasn't very full, and it was a huge plane. And...that was pretty cool.
On the flight you can watch movies, and it was free...so me, Hermana Kahle, and Hermana Dahl all watched Pride and Predjudice. Haha. So, that was fun! When we landed we didn't think it was actually real so we were all just laughing and saying "GUYS! We're in Peru!" Ha. Getting through the immigration and customs was so much easier than we thought. We all had these huge bags and were trying to carry them around and communicate with people. Then we got picked up by this random guy (who we still aren't sure if it was the MTC guy, or if he just wanted the money...but he said "Si...CCM...Si...misionaras..." but we all felt pretty safe. Haha) We drove through Lima at midnight and you would think it was 5 in the afternoon...there were people EVERYWHERE. It was hilarious!
When we got to the CCM (about an hour drive) he just let us out, and then guy who met us at the gate didn't speak any English...so...he gave us papers with some instructions and pretty much just left us there. And my room assignment was different than the other sisters, so I was super stressed that I wouldn't be able to find it, and just decided to sleep in their room. We were SO tired, so I'm pretty sure I slept...but I was pretty scared. It makes me sad that I have to start all over again here cause the beginning was really hard for me at the Provo MTC, and now I have to do that again. 


When we woke up this morning (at 6...even though we didn't get to bed until 1:30) we went down to breakfast and ate with our Zone leaders. The breakfast was these weird eggs, and bread, yogurt. I didn't even much though...I wasn't very hungry. Haha.
Then they took me to my class cause I'm not with the other 3 sisters that I flew with from Peru.  My companion seems nice. She's from Idaho, and also came from the MTC in Provo last week though. There are two more sisters in our district, and they came straight here from home.
Our language class this morning was outside and it was so nice outside.  La CCM is really pretty, but outside of the CCM we haven't really seen yet.
I found out this morning that....wait for it....DAVID BEDNAR is coming on Tuesday for a question and answer and spending the day here with all the missionaries. Man...I got so lucky! I'm so excited for that.

I just need to get through the first few days cause it's been pretty tough trying to adjust. Plus everyone has told me that I'll be getting sick in the next few days as my stomach adjusts to the food, and obviously that's not something I want to hear so I've been getting kind of nervous.
I'm excited to be here, and see the changes. It's a lot more laid back which I think is really cool...maybe sometimes a little too laid back for me though. I like a little structure. My teachers are awesome..One is trying to learn English, and the other is a girl and she speaks little English.
Anyway...I'm gonna go now, but just wanted to let you guys know I'm here, and safe...and that I can do this!
Adios!
Love you!
                                       -Hermana Carli Stone-

Pictures from Hermana Carli!

Look what I found in the parking lot this morning on my way to the temple! AHA!

Look who I "ran into" this morning at the refferal center! So good to see him!

My sweet companions and I at the temple this morning. Our last time together in Provo! I'm going to miss this!

My cute roommates who are going to Korea! They are the sweetest girls!

OFF TO PERU!

My favorite teacher Brother Wald. Gonna miss him too!

My favorite Elders from my district. I shouldn't have favorites...but these guys are hilarious!

 Look who I ran into! Off to Argentina in May!
Ps...that giant Elder is MICHAEL DUKE. He's huge!!

AND...remember the Wadleys from Nauvoo? Doug is here and going to Hong Kong...or maybe Tawain? I can't remember now. Somewhere in Asia!

Elder Boyce...who is NOT related to Clark. We had a nice chat one morning about all his first and second cousins. Good times...HAHA!

How cute are my companions! Love these sisters SO much!

Kate with me, Hermana Tibbetts (Kendall's best friend also going to Peru--no visa yet though) and Siostra Blake at our temple walk on Sunday!

Off to Peru!

April 17, 2013 

Well...this week has been pretty crazy. As you know...MY VISA CAME. Monday afternoon we were in class and over the speaker in our room they said, "Can we have Sister Stone, and Sister Kahle come to the travel office please?" Hermana Kahle and I looked at each other and our eyes got huge...and we jumped out of our chairs and started hyperventilating. Haha. We almost sprinted all the way there, and when we got there they said, "Sisters, your Visa's arrived just now. You're leaving for the Peru MTC on Thursday morning!" We were SO excited, but then it started to hit us and we got super nervous. 

 It was so fun to talk to you guys on Monday for a few minutes. When I called the house Colton answered and I said, "Colton...it's Carli." (SILENCE) "Is Mom there? It's really important!" (SILENCE) "Colton??" "Hi...Carli? Mom's not home." Hahaha. I'm pretty sure he thought I was leaving or something cause he sounded so freaked out. Last night you'll never believe what happened! I've been singing in the choir (which I have LOVED) and just before devotional was about to start the whole gym went silent and everyone stood up...and in walks RICHARD G. SCOTT! His talk was absolutely incredible! The spirit was so strong you could cut it with a knife. You could hear a pin drop! And because I was in the choir I was super close. It was amazing! He talked about prayer and the importance of prayer and the role that it will play on your mission (which is a HUGE role!) I didn't stop writing for the entire devotional. I couldn't feel my hand. Haha. Right after he finished his talk, we sang a closing song, and then as a Sister was walking up to give the closing prayer he motioned for her to sit back down and came back to the pulpit. He said, "I have one more thing I want to say before I leave..." He said, "The Lord has called you to succeed, not to fail. This mission is an opportunity for you to learn things about yourself you never knew. Remember you have been called by inspiration. Those who he calls, he strengthens. The Lord will fit the task to your capacity" You should have seen me. I was weeping. The girl next to me kept looking over to see if I was okay because I was crying so hard I couldn't breath, so I was taking really deep breaths, trying to write, wipe my tears, and contain myself. She probably thought I was dying or something...I haven't cried that hard in who knows how long. It was absolutely incredible. After the devotional you go back to your classroom and have a testimony meeting with your district about what you got out of the devotional. I thought I could handle myself, but once I stood up I started bawling again. It doesn't really phase my district anymore. They probably just laugh inside. Also...I know they said "everyone cries on a mission" but I don't know if that's true cause I'm the only one in my district who actually has. We talked about it the other day. Haha. 

Last night in my departure interview my Branch President (who knows Grammy and Grandpa Stone by the way, and wants me to say hello from President Mortenson) said to me, "Sister Stone, I'm very proud of you. You have changed quite a bit since the first interview I had with you." Haha...maybe cause I actually talked to him this time instead of cried while he just talked. He told me that this change (no matter how scary it is going to be) is going to be good for me because I don't like change and for the next 17 months...that's pretty much all I'm going to see. I'm really nervous to leave the MTC cause I love it here! BUT...I know that I will feel the same way about the MTC in Peru once I get comfortable there. Plus it will do wonders for my Spanish and I know how helpful it will be cause I've been having a lot of trouble with it lately. 

This morning I got to go to the temple one last time before we fly out tomorrow morning and it was amazing. It was the first time I've done a session without Mom sitting next to me so when it started to tear up a little bit (shocker!) Haha. 

After the session my companions and I went to the cafeteria and ate waffles! It's SO nice to eat outside the MTC cause the food here is kind of disgusting. EXCEPT...the other day they had sweet potato fries and I was SO excited. It's quite the delicacy here at the MTC to have something good to eat. As my last breakfast here yesterday morning I had a bowl of Lucky Charms...and my district made fun of me cause they had this huge breakfast with eggs, and ham and sausage and biscuits and gravy...and I just had my cereal. haha. Can you believe all the people I see that I know here? My latest is Michael Duke! The other day after night gym (which is probably the MTC's best invention) someone called me "Carli" So I turned around and looked up to this 6'4 giant and it was Michael. I couldn't stop laughing at how much he had changed! (At least I wasn't crying though, right?) 

NIGHT GYM: Night gym is SO much fun! You get to end the night playing games and it's the best! I've been playing volleyball every gym time since I got here and guess what? I'm actually not too terrible anymore. It was so bad at the beginning that now whenever I actually hit the ball all the Elders cheer for me...it's a nice confidence booster. Plus my serve is unstoppable. You guys would be proud. 

Well...I should probably finish packing. We're supposed to be at the travel office at 6am tomorrow. I'm so sad to leave, but what an adventure is ahead of me! I can't wait! Even though it's going to be hard, I know that I can do it because the Lord will fit my mission to ME. He will stretch me just enough to help me grow, but not too much that he's going to kill me. (And if I die, I'm going straight to heaven) 
Pray often! I promise that your Savior loves you, and wants to hear from you more than you know. His love for us is perfect, and no matter what trials you are experiencing, he has been there, and he understands. I love you all SO much! Thanks for your support and letters this last week! And Cami for her package of the yummiest chocolates in the world! All the Elders asked if she would write them and when I said she was married they said "Well...is she happy?" HAHA! 
I pray for each of you, and miss you a lot! Pray for me as I leave the country tomorrow...I'll probably cry a lot in Peru too. Haha. 

In closing...I'm going to tell you about the sweetest lady Sister Edmunds who spoke to all the sisters on Sunday. Find talks from her and read them. She's my hero. One word of advice she gave to the Sisters was, "DON'T TOUCH THE ELDERS! Just don't do it, but keep track of the one's you want to touch, stay in good shape after your mission, and when your reunion rolls around...look at your list...find the one's you wanted to touch, and touch them!" HAHA! We were all dying laughing. 

Stay happy! 

 Love, Hermana Stone 




If you are interested to know who Elder Richard G. Scott is, here is a talk given in General Conference, 1998.

“A righteous life requires discipline. Discipline is that characteristic which will give you the strength to avoid giving up what you want most in life for something you think you want now. It is a friend, not a harsh taskmaster that makes life miserable. Discipline is easier to acquire when it is rooted in faith in Jesus Christ, when it is nourished by an understanding of His teachings and plan of happiness. ” 

Richard G Scott: The Power of Righteousness. 

Swine Flu!

Well...This week was...hysterical to be honest. HAHA. You will not believe what happened. First of all...wasn't conference amazing? I loved it SO much. My companions and I got there super early for all the sessions and sat in the front row in comfortable chairs and watched it on these plasma TV's so we felt like we were more at home instead of sitting in the bleachers and watching it on a huge projector. Anyway...conference was incredible. I prayed to learn some things that I needed to hear and I definitely did. I realized a lot of really cool insights about why I'm here on my mission. 

So...Friday evening I started coughing and not feeling too well (but it wasn't that big of a deal cause I've basically felt sick since the day I got here and been super nauseous) Anyway...when I woke up on Monday I felt even worse than I had before so I went into the Health Center to see a doctor...they did some tests and found out I had INFLUENZA B (What the HECK!) I obviously thought that was some sort of hysterical joke...but nope. Then about 20 minutes later my whole district shows up at the doctors office to give me a blessing and get some pills to prevent them all from getting it too. Then the nurse told me to say goodbye to my district cause they were taking me to Club Med...(You should have seen how excited I was when she said that...) But even more hilarious than that face, was probably the face I made when security picked up, with my 24 hour bag of books, and a toothbrush and paper and took me to the SMALLEST room BY MYSELF in the middle of some random building in the MTC. When she said Club Med I made the big mistake of thinking they were taking me to some resort somewhere to heal by a pool as I watch movies and drink smoothies. Don't worry...as soon as they left me in the tiny room all alone I sobbed. They literally put me in isolation and didn't let me leave. When the doctor came to check on me yesterday morning he said I needed another day to rest and made me stay another 24 hours. They "released me from quarantine" this morning. THIS WOULD HAPPEN TO ME, RIGHT? Anyway...lot's of tears, and prayers and scripture reading. I learned a lot of lessons in these longest 50 hours of my life. BUT...I prayed for strength and help...and Heavenly Father truly provided. On Monday afternoon about 4 hours after I got into quarantine they brought in another sister with Influenza B who was also in need of recovery. Come to find out she was supposed to leave yesterday for Scotland with her whole district, and they wouldn't let her leave the country. We became best friends and talked for a good 18 hours straight yesterday. Haha. She knows about all my friends, family, dates, kisses, struggles, weaknesses, vacations, favorite foods...you name it! We laughed so hard at the fact that we were literally in quarentine and they wouldn't even let us listen to the devotional...WHICH BY THE WAY...Gerald Lund spoke...and of course I missed it! I'm so sad, BUT Sister Watts (quarantine companion) has an Aunt who's husband is a Branch President here and so Monday and Tuesday night she brought us our letters, and told us about the devotional and it was really good! She was the sweetest woman in the world, and we were SO grateful to see her cause she was our only visitor who wasn't wearing a swine flu mask. 
 Well...the whole situation was quite hysterical...and I learned a LOT from it. I guess I needed to be humbled a little bit and rely on the Lord a little more. And I truly have been. I've never wanted to work more in my entire life...and laying in bed all day and writing letters and reading was actual horrible...so, I think I've learned a few things. Sister Watt and I read preach my gospel last night and she helped me with my Spanish and it was super helpful. We would sit on our bunk beds just talking to each other all day. AND...we realized after about...24 hours that we were in the same Family Finance class last semester. So that was pretty funny. Anyway...I'm more than happy to be here (out of my quarantine...which I called a concubine the whole time on accident) and I'm so excited to get back to work! I sent you guys some pictures! Hopefully they worked. There should be some of my companions, my district, Nicole and Kendall, and my isolation room. Classic. 

Mom! Thanks so much for your letters I appreciate them SO much. 

Summer...I'm so excited that you got asked to Spring Formal...my dress is gonna look great on you. You always were prettier than me. 

Chandler...I wrote you, but I haven't heard back. I need some Spanish advice!! 

Katelyn and Marcus...I wrote you too, and miss you guys SO much! I need mission advice! 

Dad, I love your emails! Thanks for the pictures and encouraging words! 

Tell Colton I miss him and laughed out loud when you told me how excited he was to see Jurassic Park. HAHAHA. Classic Colton. 

Thanks everyone else for the letters. All my lovely girls from Apartment 330 at the Avenues sent me some goodies, and Megan Bertha sent me the sweetest package. I love getting dearelders. Keep writing me everyone! PS....I lost 7 pounds since I got here. Oh...PPS. I'm such a great influence on my companions. They both CHOPPED off their hair. I sent a picture I think. Anyway...they're awesome. Love them both! I love you all SO much and think about you all the time. Miss you guys! 

Hola familia!!
 HOLY GUACAMOLE!! This week has been SO nuts. As I'm sure you saw from my first letter to you guys, I'm a bit overwhelmed. Ha. Everyone says a mission is hard, but you have no idea what that means until you get here. This place is so insane.
So far, things have been getting better as the days go on. By Thursday (so...day 2) my district had seen my cry more than most of my friends have. Haha. My branch president met with us Thursday night to introduce himself to us, and when he said he was from Modesto I broke down in tears...so that was fun for everyone. Then he asked if I was related to O. Leslie Stone...and I broke down then too. A guy from our stake that went to mission prep with me walked by my classroom, and waved...and I cried again. Needless to say...it was a rough first couple days. Haha

Sheri Dew came and spoke on Sunday night at our Easter devotional, and it was INCREDIBLE! The spirit is so strong here all the time, so it's hard to realize when the spirit is communicating with you, and recognize it, because you're pretty much always feeling it. And it's amazing. I've come to truly LOVE the Book of Mormon this last week...mostly because I can read it in English. Espanol es NO BUENO. A few days ago my companions and I...which...by the way. I love them both. I have two companions! Both are from Arizona. Hermana Shoppmann is hilarious. She lives an hour and a half from anyone or anything in the middle of the desert, and was home schooled her whole life. She's the most awkward, hilarious, sweetest girl ever. I love her to death. Hermana Kahle is from Gilbert and we are super similar so we get along really well. She laughs at all my jokes so I love that about her. Haha.
Anyway...We were teaching a lesson yesterday to an investigator named Ivan...we were teaching him about the plan of salvation, and TRYING to explain the three degrees of glory (in Spanish). He looked at me and asked if there was three degrees of glory in hell...OF COURSE I didn't understand him so I just said, "Si"...my companion looked at me and started busting up laughing and was like..."No there's not! How are you going to explain that?" And I said..."Wait...what did he even say?" When she told me I turned bright red and tried to fix my mistake...but obviously he didn't understand what I was trying to say, so we told him we would explain next time we came. Haha. Hopefully he doesn't remember when we go back tomorrow. He's committed to baptism on SATURDAY though. So...even if our Spanish wasn't good, the spirit was strong, and he felt that what we were teaching him was good.

Last night in devotional we had a member of the Seventy come, and he talked about Enduring the End...even though there were 3000 missionaries there...I swear he was looking at me the whole time...and it was really stressing me out. Haha. I sang in the choir, which was so much fun. Luckily Hermana Kahle likes to sing, so she came with me and that was really awesome. I have a million things to say, but I'm completely forgetting all the stuff that happened this week.

Wednesday through Sunday were the SLOWEST few days of my life. It was rough for sure, but thank you to the GALLACHERS for their wonderful package...I loved it! And thanks to everyone who has written me. It has made me so happy! The first day I got like...4 letters and when my district leader came in with the mail he was like..."Wow Hermana Stone. You got a ton of mail" AND...most of my district hated me cause I was the only one who got letters. Haha...SO KEEP THEM COMING! I'm trying to figure out how to attach pictures, but for some reason my camera isn't working which is such a bummer, but someone just came up and explained what I need to do to fix it, so I'll try that next week if I can't do it today.

This morning for our P-day we got to go to the temple. My companions and I did inititories which was awesome, and then went and sat in the Celestial room for a little while. It was so peaceful because no one was in there and we got to just sit and think and ponder. I prayed that Grandpa would be there, and he was definitely was in the Celestial room with me this morning...it was a really special experience. It's crazy how much you pray here. I feel like I'm silently praying to myself every five minutes for even the smallest things.
OH MARCUS! This morning on my way to the temple I saw your car and yelled to my companions and said..."THAT'S MY CAR!!" So...could you come find me and say hi some time? Haha. I was going to take a picture, but we were late...so I decided to do it on the way home...except it was gone, so that was a bummer. But that was a little tender mercy and fun memory of home for me. And on Thursday I was in a meeting and these Elders behind me were talking in the most RIDICULOUS Scottish accents I have ever heard so I turned around and asked where they were going and they all yelled "SCOTLAND!" I had a heart attack, turned my chair around and had a nice heart to heart with them about how much Clark loved his mission...then the meeting started and guess who gave the prayed? An Elder named Elder BOYCE. It was hilarious...but not really because I started crying...but my companions thought it was funny. Is it evident that I miss home a little bit? Everyone I've talked to told me that it doesn't really fade, but you just start working so hard that you forget about how much you loved everything at home, and start focusing more on others, and on the work, which is my goal! Even though this is the hardest thing I've ever done, I know it is going to be SO good for me. I can't even believe it. I'm going to learn so much! Emotional roller coaster is an understatement. I usually don't cry too much...but I have been SUCH a disaster. My companions are constantly asking if I'm okay cause I cry so much. Don't know where I got that trait from cause nobody else in our family cries....HA! I love you ALL so much. WRITE ME LETTERS...cause they make me cry, and obviously I enjoy that.

Thanks to Chandler, Mom, Dad, Megan Brink, Cam, Caitlin, Kate and Maddie for writing me! You guys are such angels! Anyone can email me, and my address is:

Hermana Carli Stone

 MTC mailbox #267 

PER-ARE 0508 

2005 N. 900 E. 

Provo, UT 84604 

 Xoxo -Hermana Stone 

My district