Well...there goes January. How is that even possible?
Things here in Tacna are awesome. My companion and I have caught some sort of bug for the work of salvation, and we have our planners FULL to the brim. Right now we are searching for members that can go on splits with us because we have so many appointments. Ah! Wow. I love this work so much.
Oh...I forgot to tell you all. Yes, it happened. I got robbed. I knew one day it would happen. Unfortunately they stole my keys to our house, 80 soles, a copy of my visa card for the mission, and my USB. I was pretty upset, but then I thought..."Wait...if they put my USB in their computer they will find all the church music, and Mormon messages I have for lessons, watch them, and get baptized"...so I`m not too worried about it.
Our leadership counsel last week was incredible. Man, I love my mission president. He is so inspired. The work of salvation is hastening. This week the sister training leaders are going to get cell phones. (Just a little glimpse of how far behind the other missions in the world we are.) Ha. But I have received confirmation after confirmation that I need to be here, in the Perù, Arequipa mission. I love this country, these people (even the person who robbed me), this language, the culture, the food, EVERYTHING about Perù. It will always be a part of who I am.
Even though we don`t have a ton of people that we are teaching right now, I know that the Lord is preparing them in this very moment, and that they will be ready to accept this gospel, and every blessing that comes along with this beautiful message that we preach.
Ps. I stood up last week in our zone conference and told everyone that I was on a mini mission to help our zone be cooler, and more united (but in a nicer way than that) and last night they called us, and were telling me how cool I was, and today we are going to do a bunch of fun activities together as a zone, and we studied this morning in the chapel, and walked to internet together. Mission accomplished. Alameda 2014.
Love you all.
Thanks for raising me to be cool mom and dad.
Monday, January 27, 2014
Monday, January 20, 2014
3 things..
I am absolutely certain of three things today.
1. Everyone eventually comes to a point on their mission where they realize their purpose, why they are serving, and what they are becoming…and have no desire to come home whatsoever.
2. The companion you have is what makes all the difference.
3. Serving a mission is the best decision that anyone can ever make in their life.
First, I am here to tell you all and I want to shout from the rooftop of every house in the entire country of Peru, how much I love being a missionary. I feel like I could do this for the rest of my life. I have come to the point that being a missionary is who I am. It is what I do. It is what I think, dream, and believe. I sometimes read my journals from the beginning of my mission just to laugh. I can hardly believe the blessings that I have seen here on my mission, and I do not doubt for one minute that my heavenly Father has been with me for every step of the way.
Secondly, I absolutely LOVE my new companion. I am completely positive that she is an answer to my prayers. I have never prayed so much, and so hard, and seen so quickly an answer that I am absolutely certain is from heaven. Sister Avila is a gem. We just laugh, and teach, and talk and cry and laugh and talk and I am the happiest that I have been on my mission.
And thirdly, I love this work. I love my Heavenly Father. I love miracles. I love my investigators. I love the members of my ward, and I love the fact that I am filled to the brim with love and the charity I have been praying for. I know that a mission is the best decision I have ever made in my life. I would not trade my mission for anything in the world. My mission means everything to me, and I know with all my heart that this is the church of Jesus Christ, that is the center of all we do, and all we believe.
I love you all!
P.s. I'm in Arequipa right now for our leadership conference. I forgot to mention that before, but here I am just hanging out in President Zobrist's office. Haha.
1. Everyone eventually comes to a point on their mission where they realize their purpose, why they are serving, and what they are becoming…and have no desire to come home whatsoever.
2. The companion you have is what makes all the difference.
3. Serving a mission is the best decision that anyone can ever make in their life.
First, I am here to tell you all and I want to shout from the rooftop of every house in the entire country of Peru, how much I love being a missionary. I feel like I could do this for the rest of my life. I have come to the point that being a missionary is who I am. It is what I do. It is what I think, dream, and believe. I sometimes read my journals from the beginning of my mission just to laugh. I can hardly believe the blessings that I have seen here on my mission, and I do not doubt for one minute that my heavenly Father has been with me for every step of the way.
Secondly, I absolutely LOVE my new companion. I am completely positive that she is an answer to my prayers. I have never prayed so much, and so hard, and seen so quickly an answer that I am absolutely certain is from heaven. Sister Avila is a gem. We just laugh, and teach, and talk and cry and laugh and talk and I am the happiest that I have been on my mission.
And thirdly, I love this work. I love my Heavenly Father. I love miracles. I love my investigators. I love the members of my ward, and I love the fact that I am filled to the brim with love and the charity I have been praying for. I know that a mission is the best decision I have ever made in my life. I would not trade my mission for anything in the world. My mission means everything to me, and I know with all my heart that this is the church of Jesus Christ, that is the center of all we do, and all we believe.
I love you all!
P.s. I'm in Arequipa right now for our leadership conference. I forgot to mention that before, but here I am just hanging out in President Zobrist's office. Haha.
Monday, January 13, 2014
Challege to read the BOM by August!
Okay...I´m here. We had transfers...and the day came. After 4 1/2 months together, my companion got transferred to Arequipa. She will finish her mission there, and she is actually training for her last two transfers. It was bittersweet to see her go, but she was excited to get out of Tacna after 9 months, and we were ready for a change. Haha. My new companion is awesome. She is from Argentina, and has 14 months in the mission, so she will probably finish her mission here in Tacna, and I think I will probably have one or two more transfers here in Para Chico before I get transferred.
This week was busy busy BUSY, but it was a spiritual feast! We had the most amazing opportunity to have a member of the quorum of the 70 here to talk to our whole mission on Friday, and on Thursday we had our leadership conference with the zone leaders, sister training leaders, president and sister Zobrist, and Elder C. Scott Grow and his wife. It was absolutely incredible. His testimony of the atonement hit me like ton of bricks, and I now have a weird obsession with finding doctrine of the atonement in the Book of Mormon. You can all read my spanglish study journals when I get home, and see some of the amazing things that I have found in my personal studies.
Besides Elder Grow coming down, we have just been working a ton. We are coming into summer time here and it is insanely hot. It´s gotten to a point where working at 2 and 3pm in the afternoon is next to impossible. We have to do language study in the afternoon because the mission nurse doesn´t want us out in the sun too much.
Last week for Pday we went to the beach and it was a ton of fun. I will send some pictures. We played volleyball, went fishing, ate, played soccer, and searched for crabs (all the mature elders of course) haha. It was such a blast.
This week I have had some cool experiences that have helped my understand a little better the things that I personally need to do better. I have come to realize how much I love goals. Setting them, keeping them, finishing them....everything goals! AND...speaking of goals I have one for each of you. I have a goal to finish the Book of Mormon in Spanish in this transfer (I´m in Helaman 3) and in English the transfer after this in April. I want to challenge anyone who would like too (and for those of you in my immediate family...this is not an option) to read personally the Book of Mormon from cover to cover before I get home in August. I was telling Summer that they have these little flea market places here that have some SWEET stuff, and for everyone who finishes the Book of Mormon I will bring home a prize from the lovely country of Perú. You can never read the Book of Mormon too many times, or have too many personal confirmations that it is the word of God, and I know that it will be a wonderful experience for anyone who is willing to spend the time to read it, and put forth the effort.
les amo MUCHO!
xoxoxo,
sister carli stone
This week was busy busy BUSY, but it was a spiritual feast! We had the most amazing opportunity to have a member of the quorum of the 70 here to talk to our whole mission on Friday, and on Thursday we had our leadership conference with the zone leaders, sister training leaders, president and sister Zobrist, and Elder C. Scott Grow and his wife. It was absolutely incredible. His testimony of the atonement hit me like ton of bricks, and I now have a weird obsession with finding doctrine of the atonement in the Book of Mormon. You can all read my spanglish study journals when I get home, and see some of the amazing things that I have found in my personal studies.
Besides Elder Grow coming down, we have just been working a ton. We are coming into summer time here and it is insanely hot. It´s gotten to a point where working at 2 and 3pm in the afternoon is next to impossible. We have to do language study in the afternoon because the mission nurse doesn´t want us out in the sun too much.
Last week for Pday we went to the beach and it was a ton of fun. I will send some pictures. We played volleyball, went fishing, ate, played soccer, and searched for crabs (all the mature elders of course) haha. It was such a blast.
This week I have had some cool experiences that have helped my understand a little better the things that I personally need to do better. I have come to realize how much I love goals. Setting them, keeping them, finishing them....everything goals! AND...speaking of goals I have one for each of you. I have a goal to finish the Book of Mormon in Spanish in this transfer (I´m in Helaman 3) and in English the transfer after this in April. I want to challenge anyone who would like too (and for those of you in my immediate family...this is not an option) to read personally the Book of Mormon from cover to cover before I get home in August. I was telling Summer that they have these little flea market places here that have some SWEET stuff, and for everyone who finishes the Book of Mormon I will bring home a prize from the lovely country of Perú. You can never read the Book of Mormon too many times, or have too many personal confirmations that it is the word of God, and I know that it will be a wonderful experience for anyone who is willing to spend the time to read it, and put forth the effort.
les amo MUCHO!
xoxoxo,
sister carli stone
Thursday, January 9, 2014
Tuesday, January 7, 2014
Mission was in the cards for me
Happppy birthday Summerella!! I can`t believe she is 17. Wow! I feel like it was just yesterday that she was telling me to grow up and sleep in my own room. Love you Summer! Thanks for being such a great example to me. I hope your birthday was wonderful.
So...wow. I can`t even remember everything that happened this week. The first and funniest is probably our new years. I am not joking even a tiny bit when I say that I felt like I was in a war zone. Everyone is lighting off huge fireworks, and yelling, and I legit thought it was the end of my life, but I couldn't stop laughing. I wish I could attach the video cause I`m just screaming in Spanish and laughing, and it is so hilarious.
Next hilarious moment. We have a member that lives like...25 minutes from our house, and last week asked us if we could stop by and teach her daughter the missionary lessons before her baptism. While we were walking we were trying to find the shortest way possible to get there...smart Sister Stone thought it would be a good idea to walk through some abandoned property of straight up dirt. Well...it was a HORRIBLE idea cause it wasn't hard dirt...it was like sand...and as we were walking through this crazy deep field of dirt we heard a door open behind us, and out of some creepy shack in the middle of no where starts sprinting towards us the scariest hugest dog I have ever seen. Everyone who knows how much I love dogs can only imagine the look on my face. I looked at my companion and started screaming and praying out loud like mom does when shes freaking out...and all of a sudden the dog stops. In the middle of no where...like 6 feet away from me. Because he was running so fast I was covered in dust...but I seriously couldn't stop laughing and crying. Miracle! I know my Heavenly Father is watching over me.
This week we went on divisions, and the sweetest sister from Washington came with me to my area, and we had so much fun teaching together. It`s pretty funny when two north American sisters walk together in the street, because everyone we talk to wants to at least listen for a moment to figure out why we`re here in Perù.
This week I have continued to see miracles, and have spiritual experiences. I have been so blessed and lucky to serve a mission. When I think about the hastening of this work I get giddy inside because I know that what I am doing is truly the work of the Lord. I know my Heavenly Father loves me, and wants me to be happy, and even though I can`t focus right now even a little bit because we are in a different internet cafe and I am surrounded by a bunch of gamers listening to emo-screamo music and yelling at their computers screens, I can feel that a mission was always in the cards for me. I know that my heavenly Father has sent me here for a reason, and this year as I have been making plans and goals for myself, I know that I need to find my purpose, and live up to the potential that I have as a daughter of God.
Love you all!
So...wow. I can`t even remember everything that happened this week. The first and funniest is probably our new years. I am not joking even a tiny bit when I say that I felt like I was in a war zone. Everyone is lighting off huge fireworks, and yelling, and I legit thought it was the end of my life, but I couldn't stop laughing. I wish I could attach the video cause I`m just screaming in Spanish and laughing, and it is so hilarious.
Next hilarious moment. We have a member that lives like...25 minutes from our house, and last week asked us if we could stop by and teach her daughter the missionary lessons before her baptism. While we were walking we were trying to find the shortest way possible to get there...smart Sister Stone thought it would be a good idea to walk through some abandoned property of straight up dirt. Well...it was a HORRIBLE idea cause it wasn't hard dirt...it was like sand...and as we were walking through this crazy deep field of dirt we heard a door open behind us, and out of some creepy shack in the middle of no where starts sprinting towards us the scariest hugest dog I have ever seen. Everyone who knows how much I love dogs can only imagine the look on my face. I looked at my companion and started screaming and praying out loud like mom does when shes freaking out...and all of a sudden the dog stops. In the middle of no where...like 6 feet away from me. Because he was running so fast I was covered in dust...but I seriously couldn't stop laughing and crying. Miracle! I know my Heavenly Father is watching over me.
This week we went on divisions, and the sweetest sister from Washington came with me to my area, and we had so much fun teaching together. It`s pretty funny when two north American sisters walk together in the street, because everyone we talk to wants to at least listen for a moment to figure out why we`re here in Perù.
This week I have continued to see miracles, and have spiritual experiences. I have been so blessed and lucky to serve a mission. When I think about the hastening of this work I get giddy inside because I know that what I am doing is truly the work of the Lord. I know my Heavenly Father loves me, and wants me to be happy, and even though I can`t focus right now even a little bit because we are in a different internet cafe and I am surrounded by a bunch of gamers listening to emo-screamo music and yelling at their computers screens, I can feel that a mission was always in the cards for me. I know that my heavenly Father has sent me here for a reason, and this year as I have been making plans and goals for myself, I know that I need to find my purpose, and live up to the potential that I have as a daughter of God.
Love you all!
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