"Life is to be enjoyed, not endured"

Okay...I am going to start this email by giving a embarrassing shout out to my sister Katelyn Stone Hunt who has not written me in over a month. I am waiting to hear how you have been and I miss you and Marcus a ton! Thank you! Secondly...So proud of Chan for dating up a storm in Provo. Haha...I wouldn't expect anything less from a Stone. I think about you a ton Chandler, and appreciate that you can understand the pains I feel here with the language and the 3rd world county thing. Summerella is the prettiest of the Stone girls and so proud to call her my sister. Colton is growing up so much with his very own instagram, and I can`t wait to see him pass me up cause I promise I haven't gotten any taller here...but I feel like a giant so that will be fun to come home and be small little Carli again. Mom and Dad you both know that I miss you I`m sure. I hope you can feel my prayers for each and every one of you in these specific stages of life. I am brought to tears when I think of the blessings that Lord has given me in my life, and the amazing family, ward, friends, home and country I have had. I can`t thank each and every one of you enough for the examples of love and faithfulness you have shown me.

This week was good...tough, but I learned a lot. I hope I am humbling myself enough to learn every thing that the Lord wants me to learn everyday here in Perù. This Saturday I had my first baptism...that didn't show up for his baptism. It was rough. It just made me so sad to think that this brother isn't enjoying all the blessings that he could be at this time in his life. He had his interview and everything, and Saturday night we waited for an hour and half calling him a million times and he just never showed up. We passed by his house Sunday morning and he wasn't there. We haven't been able to get in contact with him yet, but we are going to stop by later tonight after Pday.

But...there are a lot of wonderful things happening in my area right now, and I am so thankful that the Lord is blessing my companion and I with people to teach. We have a goal to better enjoy our missions.  I have a quote from President Hinckley that says, "Life is to be enjoyed, not endured." and so we decided we could incorporate that into our missions.  We have one investigator named Nicolas. He is 12 years old, and a literal TWIN to Colton. I was almost crying teaching him the other day cause not only does he look and dress like Colton, but he acts just like him. He is the sweetest little boy, and is a champ at soccer.

A few days ago my companion and I were walking through the park and felt super strongly that we should talk to this guy that was sitting alone on a bench. And WOW...that was a prompting from the spirit. Come to find out, his wife is a less active member, and she was baptized in Lima, and hasn't been to church here yet in Tacna. We told him that he needed to get baptized, receive the priesthood, and he could bless his family, his home and his children.  He told us that he would come to church with his wife and learn more...and yesterday he walked in with his family wearing a shirt and tie!! Tonight we are going to have a family home evening with them. I'm so grateful for the promptings of the spirit. I know that there was a reason that we needed to talk to this man at this time...and he will bless his family in a HUGE way with the priesthood.

We are working a lot with the less actives in our area and strengthening the ward.  A few weeks ago we had a family night with a inactive brother who hadn't been to church in 2 years. At the end of the lesson he started talking about music and how much he loved the hymns at church and how much he missed the music, but that he wished we could use the organ...I looked at him and said..."Well, you are in luck. I play the piano every Sunday." He hasn't missed church in 3 weeks, and bore his testimony in a baptism we had last week. WOO! I love miracles and I love the work of the Lord.

I know that this is the Lords church...I know that this church was restored through Joseph Smith. I know that through him we also have been blessed with the priesthood of God on earth again.

I love you all! Have a wonderful week.