"We are following the prophet"

Okay...truth circle. I`m a little bit sick right now. I have a little FOMO!!! So jealous thinking about all you guys in Utah doing the whole "homecoming game thing". Ah. I love BYU...I`m so glad they won too! But...like I said a few weeks ago about the joys and sorrows...I will appreciate those moments so much more after my mission, because I have been left out. Haha...and everyone who knows me knows that I love to be in the middle of it all...but I am so happy that everyone is healthy and safe and doing well.

This week we had such a MIRACLE happen. I have realized that they come every single day of the mission, but only when I am looking for them. Our sweet little investigator Brenno was baptized on Saturday. He has been going to church since he was 7, but never had permission to be baptized. My companion and I felt super strongly one day as we were planning that we should work on getting permission for him to be baptized, so ALL last week we were searching for him. His mom was in town for the weekend from Lima (MIRACLE!) and we literally walked up and down the street that he lives knocking on every single door asking if anyone knew his family...and some how NOBODY knew who he was. Friday, (after spending the entire week visiting every member of his family that we knew in the ward, and calling his cell phone 15 times) we were contacting on a street corner and who walks up behind us?...Yes, Brenno. We looked at each other practically in tears and told him we had been looking for him all week. Right in that moment we told him that we felt that this was his time for baptism...his eyes started watering and he said he wanted to be baptized THE NEXT DAY! We called the zone leaders from a public phone and told them to meet us at the chapel in 10 minutes to interview him. He passed his interview and was baptized the next day. He was glowing. So sweet. He is 16, and his parents are both members, and his dad is a returned missionary, but is extremely inactive right now. But he was overcome with the spirit and crying and everything the moment that his son came out of the waters of baptism. Wow. Such a miracle for that family.

This week we also had a conference with President Zobrist, and I had a super cool interview with him. I have NO doubt that we are called to the mission we are called for our mission president because he has already helped me SO much in my mission, and I still have a ton to go, and a lot more to learn from him.

My companion and I also planned a training for all the sisters this week, and it went super well. It was so fun being able to plan a training and it was really cool to be able to receive revelation for the sisters in this area, and teach them new things, and see how they are each doing individually. We also made hamburgers and banana splits and played signs and did some anti stress exercises to make it more fun. Haha. I will send a picture to you of all the sisters in Tacna. They are all so awesome.

Okay...last thing. This week my companion was looking at pictures in the Ensign and saw a picture of the prophet where he looked a little bit heavy, and she said..."Look...President Monson is fat too. If anyone makes fun of us for gaining weight we can just tell them that we are following the prophet." HAHA. I love my companion. Always makes me feel better about the 19,000 pounds of rice that we eat everyday. SO LUCKY! P.s. I don`t think I will ever be eating rice again after my mission.

Oh...and LAST thing. My companion and I completed with our baptism goal for this month...and we are only on the 2nd week of the month! Our bishop took us out to a super nice Chinese restaurant for a celebration and I got to eat....FRIED RICE. Que suerte!! Haha.

LOVE YOU ALL!

I got my buttermilk syrup!

Oh...my...general conference. I could spend the whole email talking about how much I absolutely LOVED conference! With every talk I heard I was just reminded of the truthfulness of this gospel, and the fact that we were listening to the words of Prophets and Apostles of GOD! Wow. How lucky we are to live in this time when we can listen to the counsel from our Father in Heaven directly through his servants. I absolutely loved what elder Ballard said about missionary work, he said to the missionaries, "You are called as a missionary to talk to people...don't act like it's some sort of burden." Ha. But I have to say that I was weeping in Elder Hollands talk. Wow. That talk was definitely written for a few people that I know.

Last week was SUCH a blast in Arequipa. The mission home reminds me a ton of grammy and grandpa's house and I felt like I was in Modesto. There were 6 of us sisters so we got to sleep in the mission home, and the elders got sent off to some hotel. We woke up to president making french toast and buttermilk syrup. I was in heaven! I thought it was all for us, and then the doorbell rang and in walked 38 elders...but it was okay, cause I got my buttermilk syrup! Ha.

This week was awesome. We had 3 BAPTISMS on Saturday! It was incredible! The three girls we baptized, (Maria Gracia, Ivone, and Karry) were all so excited, and SO prepared. I know that God was preparing them for us to teach...and I will never forget seeing their faces after they were baptized. They kept thanking us, and hugging us and it was just the sweetest thing ever.

I just loved this week so much...and I'm excited to see what the next week brings. It's like a mystery what will happen, who we will meet, who we will teach, and how we can help them.

Love you all so much!! Enjoy your week...and remember...Every member a missionary! Please help the missionaries in our ward...I promise they will appreciate it more than you know. We are all in this together! (high school musical throwback)

Ps...If you were wondering, Saturday I got to watch conference in English with the white elders, and one white sister in Tacna...and Sunday we watched in Spanish. It's cool to watch it in Spanish though cause I receive more revelation when I am listening to the topic rather than every word. OH...also...did mom join the Tabernacle choir...cause her TWIN was singing in the choir. I almost cried when I saw her on Saturday and I jumped out of my seat and ran over and stared at the screen and all the elders thought I was crazy! Then I said..."Elders....I think that was my mom. I`m serious." Soo....let me know if you moved to Utah.

Love,
Carli

Don't forget the pizza..

Hello my lovely family!
Well...I´m in Arequipa again. I got fired as sister training leader. Haha. Just kidding...The first P day of every month all the sisters training leaders and zone leaders come to the mission home for a leadership conference. I am so happy to be back here in Arequipa even if it´s only for a few days. And I am writing this email from the computer in the mission presidents office...talk about WEIRD. Haha. But my trainer Sister Chavez is here and I almost cried when I saw her. She is the sweetest!

This weeks email is going to be all over the place. It was a hilarious/quick/spiritual week in Para Chico!

Firstly...today we traveled in a bus at 5am from Tacna to Arequipa, and they were playing movies the whole way. Listening to Remember the Titans in Spanish was the highlight...then I woke up from my nap JUST in time to see the tsumani part of the movie "The Impossible". It was definitely not as good as the six zone leaders cheering when Remember the Titans started in our little first class cabin. Never traveled so comfortably in my life. Our seats were these huge recliners. BLESSING! P.s...nobody will understand or think this is funny except Chandler, but Chan...two words that came to my mind during remember the titans...Schoolwork soccer. HAHAHAHAHA. I'm sorry you´re all confused, but you can ask chandler about that. Some of the best moments of our lives. Miss you Chan!

Anyway...We didn't have a baptism this week, but we found some amazing sisters that are the sweetest. (One of them has red hair...like...Carli Stone red...and everyone thinks shes white, but shes from Peru.) We had the most incredible lesson with them and invited them both to be baptized and they said, (after 2 asistencias)..."We know your church is true because we have never felt so peaceful...we want to get baptized as soon as we can". HOLY MOLY RIGHT? I was so happy I didn't even know what to say and my Spanish was ALL over the place. I had English words coming out of no where and I was just laughing of JOY!

Next...let me tell about our ward mission leader. He is a convert of 1 year, and is preparing to go on a mission...(I´m praying he gets sent to Roseville, CA) But seriously...Ricsto is 18 and probably the strangest most hilarious and awkward boy on the planet and we love him so much. He has a extremely weird obsession with bagpipes, and his eyes water, and he makes this girly high pitched screaming noise whenever he hears music with bagbipes. HAHAHA. Yeah...he also came to our house at 10pm last Monday (on his bike in the freezing cold) and fixed our shower.

Next thing. We had divisions this week with HERMANA KAHLE! It was so fun to see her, and see how she is working in her mission. She is so sweet, and we had a blast...even if it was only for 24 hours and I had to evaluate her. Ha

Oh...okay this is hysterical. So...our bishop is the best and always talks about how he is going to order pizza for us one day that we have ward counsel. We didn't believe him, so we were walking by his house the other day and pulled out a sticky note and wrote "Bishop...don´t forget the pizza tonight for the sister missionaries". and signed our mission leaders name...then we stuck it on the door...rang the doorbell and ran away. Well...that night at ward counsel the bishop said, "Sisters...I just ordered a pizza. It should be here any minute, but you should know that I have cameras outside my dentist office and saw you running away after you rang my doorbell." HAHA. It was hilarious. He was dying laughing.

Anyway...This week was so awesome with our sweet investigators who are going to get baptized this week. I am seriously loving my area, and loving working with the sisters in Tacna! Hope all is well at home.

OH....PS...KITTY CARTER! Thank you thank you THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart for the package. I looked so popular getting a package full of yummy treats...I have pictures of my excitement. I was laughing so hard reading all your cards. I LOVE AND MISS YOU CARTER FAMILY!

First day of Spring!

Firstly...I cannot believe that Colton broke his thumb. Gosh darn it buddy. I will pray for a quick recovery for you. And congrats daddy and Summer on your prize winning costumes for the daddy daughter date. The best part of the picture that dad sent of the tacky tourists is that the outfit that dad is wearing isn't a costume...it is exactly what dad wears when we go to Hawaii. Hahahah.

This week we had a MIRACLE! We always have them, but this week was so awesome. Our miracle baptism Shiomara! It was the craziest busiest day on Saturday because she wanted to be baptized, but her parents wanted her to wait...and after a loving, but very direct lesson with her mom, she was BAPTIZED on Saturday night at 9pm. It is the most incredible moment in the whole world when someone comes up out of the water after their baptism and you can see them glowing. Ah! Such a blessing.

We had a ton of divisions with the sisters this week cause of problems within certain companionships and I was so sad cause I wasn't with my companion very much...but when we were reunited we were super happy, and that was another blessing.  I am learning Spanish. Another miracle! Haha. Last night we had an activity with all our ward missionaries and I taught a lesson in Spanish... I taught a lesson!! It wasn't a discussion, or a testimony...a lesson...to members of the ward. AH! After I sat down I thought..."Oh my gosh...I just taught a lesson in Spanish...and they understood me." I LOVE THE LORD!

I am seriously loving my mission. Every week I love it more and more. Every week I have more challenges than the last, but I am learning to better recognize the good, and appreciate more the BLESSINGS that I have in the mission...and it makes the hard moments bearable. I am truly starting to learn about opposition and how we would NEVER be able to fully enjoy the moments of joy in our lives if we didn't experience the sorrows. Push through the hard moments...there is always a light at the end of the tunnel.  Do everything you can to strengthen your relationship with your Heavenly Father, and make him your best friend. He knows us, He loves us, and He lives. I know these things without a doubt in my mind.

Love you all so much! Have a good week!
Today is the "día de la juventud" here in Peru...also known as the first day of SPRING! Enjoy your winter in America! :)

COW LIVER... and I ate every bite!

Hello!

This week was awesome. I absolutely LOVE my companion. Her name is Sister Cordova and she is from Chiclyo which is way way NORTH in Peru. She is 22, and hilarious. She reminds me a TON of Elise Ellison and we just laugh all day long. She is so great.

So this week I had my first divisions with two different companionships of sisters, and let me tell you...WOW have I been blessed with the gift of tongues this last week. I prayed so much that my Spanish would get better so the sisters would actually respect me and I have been blessed beyond belief! I have also received a lot of revelation this last week in how I can help the sisters that are struggling. I was reading a blessing that dad gave me last fall before I started school back up at BYU, and dad said, "Your influences on the sisters in the gospel specifically will be great if you are obedient" I remember when he said that, I was super confused, but I know that was revelation, and that through my obedience I will be an example to these sisters.

So...this week we had some interesting food. Firstly...yesterday I ate duck...and it was DELICIOUS. Who would have thought?! Come to find out it is cooked in beer...so...that was quite the shock. But...the thing that wasn't delicious?...COW LIVER! And to make it even worse...I ate every BITE because I didn't know what it was until after.

Yesterday we had a stake conference, but it was for the whole country of Perù and was a broadcast from Salt Lake...and guess who spoke? Elder Richard G. Scott (in Spanish) and Elder Bednar tambièn. And what made it so cool for me was that Elder Scott, and Elder Bednar were the two apostles that I got to see while I was in the MTC. Elder Bednar spoke about repentance, and Elder Scott talked about the sanctity of women. It was incredible to be able to hear the words of the apostles ONLY for the people I am teaching here in Perù.

I sent a picture of my companion and I with a little old lady. Her name is Julia and she is probably my favorite member in the ward so far...she is great. She is JUST like Grandma Woolf (cami`s grandma) and we just laugh whenever we are with her. The other day we were going into a lesson and she was sitting on the curb outside this investigators house just...hanging out, so we asked her to come in and listen to the lesson and the whole time she was talking about the most random stuff, and during the prayer she was telling the investigator that he needed to close his eyes, and I was praying trying SO hard not to laugh.

Things in my new area are going well, and I am so happy and grateful for the opportunity I have to serve the Lord at this time in my life. 

Love you all!

Hermana Carli

Sister training leader!

Hello my dear family!

Well...this week was pretty crazy and I have some news that will shock you ALL.
Firstly...yesterday was transfers. This whole change everyone has been telling me "Sister Stone...you will be training this next transfer" and well...yesterday when my zone leaders called they had some different news. I have been transferred to Tacna (it´s the furthest south, and right on the border of Chile) and I have been called to be a sister training leader.  I am freaking out a little bit. So...Sister training leaders are new to the missions, but what I am doing here is training all the sisters in the Southern part of the mission. Last night I had quite the cry fest realizing that I will be in charge of sisters with 15 and 16 months in the mission and little Carli with 6 months who barely speaks the language is supposed to train them.  We have divisions twice a week with the companionship in this part of the mission, and I am not really sure what my mission president was thinking. BUT...I feel a lot of peace about this new responsibility that I am going to have and know that I can teach these sisters through my example of obedience and just love them all, and hope they feel that they can learn something from me.

My last week in Independencia with my sweet Hermana Adama was so much fun.  She was the greatest.  The other day we were coming home from an appointment at the chapel and were hungry so we stopped at a little store and missed our bus...then we started walking to wait for the next one, and my companion wanted to buy something else so we went into another store and missed the SECOND bus while we were in the store. Then we looked down at our watches and realized we had 7 minutes to get home, and we were a good mile from our house...we started sprinting home, and got back to our room at exactly 9:30...we are both out of shape so when we got into our room we both crashed on the floor and took off all our coats and sweaters and just laughed about how ridiculous it was that we missed the bus TWICE. Haha.

I honestly don´t have much more to say...but this morning when my companion left for the airport at 6:30 I had to wait in our room alone until 7 for my ride to the bus terminal to come, I prayed out loud and just poured out my WHOLE heart to my Heavenly Father, and I KNOW without a doubt in my mind that He listens. I promise you all with every bone in my body that He listens.  He loves us more than we could possibly comprehend...and we are His children.  Pray out loud, tell your Father in Heaven everything that you think, feel, and need...and He will answer. It may not be in the way you expect, in fact...let me tell you one thing I have learned in this last 6 months...99.999% of the time...it is not how you expect. SEARCH for the answers you are receiving and trust that He will answer. Faith is required...but the blessings will come.

Please pray for me...I could use all the prayers I can get.

I love you all!

-Hermana Stone

Cow On a Leash

Hello my lovely family! 

What a fun labor day you guys had. I always love going up to Tahoe and enjoying the lovely things there.  Speaking of LABOR! Congrats to my piano duet partner, roommate and the lovely Caitlin Anderson Solari on her BABY boy! Ah! I got the pictures and wanted to cry. He is so beautiful.

Nextly, MOM turns 30 this week! Wooo! Sad I'm missing it, but I know that dad will spoil you like he always does...so I don´t need to worry that you won't feel the love.

This week the word got out that Hermana Stone likes cake and I was given...well...a lot of cake this week. Yet some how I have lost a bunch of weight this week too. Sorry. I won't talk more about the food. That's all. Oh wait...no. It's not. Yesterday we got invited to a member's house with the Elders for a birthday dinner and when they brought out the plate it had pig, potatoes, and lettuce. As missionaries we can't eat the pig or the lettuce so the zone leaders had to call the mission president and ask permission. It was hilarious though. Our faces must have looked pretty funny when they set down our food. We all looked at each other like, "Uhh. What do we do?" The pig was delicious though.

A few days ago we were teaching a lesson and my companion asked me to share an experience where I had a prayer answered, and I talked about when I decided to go on a mission. It was the first time that I had shared that experience in Spanish and it was SO cool. I feel like, most of the time, I feel the spirit stronger than the people I´m teaching. It was a really cool experience.  

I have seen some pretty weird things here lately. Yesterday I saw a little boy walking a cow on a leash, a family casually walking down the street with their pet lamb, and the weirdest of all...I am not joking here...I saw a clown driving a car with a bunch of little kids in it. WHAT IN THE WORLD?! As if I wasn't already scared of clowns.  

This week I have been studying the talk, "A Consecrated Missionary" everyday in my personal study for 15 minutes, and I have learned so much. One story that Elder Callister shares is about Parley P. Pratt and the missions that he served.  Parley P. Pratt served for over 25 years, most of the time out of the country, and when he returned home from Chile, Brigham Young asked him to leave his family AGAIN and serve for a few more years.  Parley P. Pratt responded and said, "If it is the will of God that I should spend my days in proclaiming this Gospel and bearing testimony of these things, I shall think myself highly privileged and honored...when the spirit of God is upon me, I think it matters but very little what I suffer, what I sacrificed...or where I die, if it so be that I can keep the faith, fight the good fight, and finish my course with Joy. I have all eternity before me in which to enjoy myself." WOW! I truly hope that I can have that attitude about my mission, be a consecrated missionary, and not worry about anything but the work of the Lord.