Happy Thanksgiving!! :) 

Sister Jacobson made us this turkey out of paper and filled it with face masks and Chapsticks and a whole bunch of cute stuff! :) 

Cami and Olaf! 
It looks like Cami found some outlet stores!
(That took longer than expected! HA!)

A cool painting Cami saw and liked of the OBX 

(I'm cool like the people who live in the Outer Banks because that's what they call it!...

so pretty much it would be like if we called where we live SLC, right??? 

Not NEARLY so cool!)

Their district. 

Looks like they are having a fun time...

well, the girls look like they are having a fun time,  

The boys look like they aren't quite sure what has just hit them! 

Can we stand this close to girls?  Are we going to get in trouble? HA!

(Sorry!  I just can't help myself from making things up when she doesn't 

give me that much to go on with these pics!  I think funny things!)

Helllooooo!!!!

Well this week was pretty good! I can never remember what happens anymore. Missionary brain is getting to me. 

On Tuesday we did service for one of the members in the ward and I just stinkin' love her! She is the same one who teaches us dance classes on pday :) We love her because she always gives us opportunities to serve-which may sound silly but you would be surprised at how many people won't let us serve them. We always try to do dishes at peoples houses when they have us over for dinner and they won't let us lift a finger, ha,ha. Anyway we helped her around her house because she just moved and is trying to unpack everything and all of her kids stuff so I like that because I like to organize. :) After that she took us out to lunch at a yummy Mexican restaurant.  She is just so great. 

On Friday we had the opportunity to help with Shirley Spencer's funeral. The Spencer's are a big family out here and Shirley and Ira Spencer are the founders of the Nags Head Ward. I never knew her or Ira because Ira passed in July just before I got here and Shirley stayed inside because of her age but I am so grateful for all that they have done to bring the gospel to the Outer Banks so I can have the opportunity to serve here in such a great ward! It was a great funeral service and although I never knew her, I know the great legacy of the gospel she left for many lives including my own and it is obvious by what was said about her in the funeral that she was truly converted unto the Lord--a true disciple of Jesus Christ. Her and Ira have 8 children, all married and sealed in the temple and active members of the gospel. Now that is an accomplishment! I hope to be as much of a force for good someday as she has been for many people around her. It was interesting being at the funeral because the last funeral I was at was for my brother, James. It brought back some hard memories of his loss, but it also reminded me of the plan of salvation and made me so grateful for the knowledge that I and my family have that we will soon be reunited with my brother and that all will be made right! The gospel is soooo true. 

Saturday was our last "walk and talk" which is a huge blessing because it is starting to get really chilly! 

On Sunday us and the Hermanas went to choir practice and that was fun :) It reminded me of singing in the choir in my home ward with my mama! The Hermamas had Spanish sacrament last night and we sang "Come follow me" IN SPANISH and 2 of their investigators were there and are hopefully getting baptized this Saturday if all goes well with the interviews tonight with the District Leader so that is super cool! 

Last night was transfer calls and I am going to be staying here in Nags Head (Hallelujah) and my new companion is going to be Sister McDonald. I will be in a trio with the Hermanas until Wednesday when she gets here. For Thanksgiving we are going to the bishops house so I am super excited for that! Today we drive Sister Bassett to the mission home in Chespeake. This is my 2nd companion that I have sent home. Haha. 

Hope everyone has a great week! Love you all!

Sister Carlson :)

Cami and Sister Bassett taking goofy pics at the church

 The 4 girls on Nags Head out at Jockey Ridge on Sister P-Day activity last week. 

It looks a bit blowy out there!

 Cami and Sister Bassett at Spencer Yachts.  These folks are in the ward in their 

area and let them use their building to teach their English each Wednesday.  

 One of the Spanish Speaking Sisters, Hermana Gray 

sporting their new matching Spencer Yacht Sweatshirts.

Sweet Sister Anne Jacobsen sent us this photo yesterday to show us the girls at Sunday dinner with their investigator and a cardboard cut out of their son who is serving his mission in Denver Colorado.

Hi friends and fam!

This week has been good. I always feel like I don't really have much to say in my weekly email home just because I can't ever remember what we did but all I know is that it was good! We met with a few of our investigators and they are doing well! We are still getting really solid support and involvement from the ward coming to lessons with us, so that has been a huge blessing! Getting people to come to church is probably the biggest struggle but its a work in progress :) 

On Wednesday we went to go visit one of the less active members of the ward who is related to one of our investigators and the investigator ended up being there and we were able to have a lesson with her and we were so grateful! We have a hard time getting a hold of that investigator because she is young and her mom is our source of contact but we were so grateful to run into her at her grandmas house and have a lesson with her :) It was a blessing that we felt inspired to visit that less active so that Heavenly Father could help us teach our investigator. 

The weather has gotten so chilly and I have come to the realization that when I came out in mid-July I didn't realize that I would need some winter clothes ha,ha! Everyone says that it doesn't snow here much-they did get snow last year though so I am trying to mentally prepare for that! It always feels even colder than it is too because its so humid and there's a really strong ocean breeze all the time. The humidity is so thick you can see it ha,ha no joke. I am lovin' it though! 

I am loving the start of the holiday season too a. because I LOVE DOING SERVICE and because people are so happy and nice ha,ha! 

On Friday we went and volunteered at the food pantry where one of the members of our ward volunteers and that was so great! We had a lot of fun :) 

On Saturday we had a really cool experience-we were doing this thing called walk and talk that our mission does every Saturday where we just walk around and talk with people who are outside and we were walking in downtown Manteo and there was a church that was getting truck loads of food for their church's food pantry and so we stopped and asked if they needed help taking it from the truck into the church and they said ya and so we ended up staying there for like an hour and a half helpin' out and sorting through the food! We talked about after how cool it was that we happened to be walking on that street and how Heavenly Father put us in the position to do something good for someone else- even if they have different beliefs than us. The whole time we were there both of us could tell they were trying to read our name tags and figure out who we were and that kind of made us laugh but we were just happy to be there and help and didn't need any recognition for being Mormon. Good Christlike examples gets the job done :) 

Hope ya'll have a blessed week! XOXOXO.

Love, Sister Carlson 

Spanish Hermana, Sister Bassett (Cami's Companion) and Cami

Cami and the Hermana's that live with them in their house.

 This was Cami and Sister Bassett modeling their Halloween Costumes I sent them.

We grew these teeny Jack 'o Lantern Pumpkins so we sent Cami one in her Halloween box.

The caption on this one said Talking and walking...I'm sure Sister Bassett will just LOVE this pic!

Cami on the Pier by the boats. It looks a little nippy out there! 

Cami noticing that Hunger Games will come out in a couple of weeks! :/

Cami on their front porch of their house.

The laundry Room.  They even have a washer and dryer! The life!

The kitchen and stairs up to their rooms and study.

The living room.

A view of Cami's room/study.

Their house.

Selfies of their Halloween Costumes!

Happy Fall, ya'll!!

I have to start out my email by wishing my sweet Dad a happy birthday this Thursday on the 13th! :) 

Things are going good here in Nags Head! The weather has dropped significantly over the past few weeks but its a good change :) 

Last Monday we had a dance class with one of the members in the ward at the dance studio that she owns and it was so much fun! It felt good to dance... and I've still got it! Hahhaha well kinda. 

Daylight savings has made missionary work at night a little bit challenging for us because we aren't allowed to contact anyone we don't know or have a lesson with past dark, so we have had to get creative but it has also helped us to plan our evenings better with lessons and people to see to use our time more wisely and it has turned out to be a blessing! We had some good lessons with our investigators this week and have had great involvement from the ward coming with us to lessons which has made a world of difference! It feels really good to have support from the ward. Ya'll should go to lessons with missionaries and find people for them to teach if you can :) it really is the best way of doing missionary work- through the members! 

On Friday we had a great zone meeting in Elizabeth city and we got the new General Conference Ensign and I just love reading through it and going back to read over all of the talks. My favorite so far is "Approaching the throne of God with confidence by Jorg Klebingat. I think that's how you spell his name haha! The member that drove us to zone meeting took us out to lunch at Panera bread which was like the best day of my life because its kinda like Kneaders and Utah and it made me so happy haha!! 

On Saturday we had a really good lesson with one of our investigators and she ended up coming to church yesterday which was a huge miracle! We were so excited to see her there. I gave her the biggest hug of my life! Also at church yesterday, Brother K. was made the assistant Ward Mission Leader which we are so excited about! He is going to do such a good job and we just love him so much. Last night we had a family home evening at his house with some of our investigators and a recent convert. We watched Ephraims rescue and had some brownies of course and it was just so great. Me and my comp were talking yesterday and there really is no better feeling as a missionary than watching someone make and keep commitments and watching them let the Holy Ghost touch and change them. It is sooo cool. The gospel is true and changes lives. 

This morning during personal study I was reading the talk Elder Holland gave in conference and he shares this story about Mother Theresa and this reporter that asked her why she does all the good she does, knowing that statistically it doesn't really make a difference and she says it isn't about statistics, it is about love and keeping the commandment to love on another. She said each good thing you do may only be a drop in the ocean, but think if you didn't do that that good thing, the ocean would be one less drop than it is and soon enough, there wouldn't be an ocean because each drop makes it what it is. I thought that was so profound and relateable because as missionaries and just people in general its hard doing things and feeling like you aren't really making a difference-and it's easy to let Satan make you think that you can't make a difference and to give up-but if we think about all the people that have gone before us and have done good things have made a difference in our lives, it's worth it :) I love ya'll so much and hope you have a blessed week!!

Much love, Sister Carlson  

P.S.  In Cami's written letter home she mentioned that in her personal interview with President Baker he asked her if she liked where she was serving and she said she LOVED it and felt like she was really getting to know some of the people there, making a difference in the ward and area there.  And he said, "good, because I don't have plans to move you any time soon!"  We are all excited about that because she does love working with the members there! Go Cami!!!! :)

Cami and the other 3 missionaries traveled to Elizabeth City this 

week to meet with their Mission President, President Baker.  

 Cami and Hermana Gray going to interviews with President Baker

 Spooky Halloween Cupcakes for English Class

Nice work girls!

The 4 Sisters at the trunk or treat on Halloween with their new convert.

Cami and Sister Barrett are modeling their 'costumes' I made for them for Halloween.  

Spooky, huh!  

I asked for a picture of their house and their living quarters and this is what I got??? 

Go figure...silly sisters!

HEY!

It's November. WOOOAHH. Things are going good though! 

Last Tuesday we had interviews in Elizabeth City with our Mission President....That was a cool experience. He is so full of wisdom and I feel blessed to serve under such an inspired mission president!! I received a lot of counsel and guidance and ways that I can be better which is always humbling and helpful :) 

On Wednesday we were able to meet with a member of the ward and she took us to have a picnic on the pier which is probably one of my favorite things yet! It was sooo beautiful. It was over looking the Sound, which is the body of water in between the Outer Banks and the US. Stay tuned for pics :) also on Wednesday we had English class and we learned about "Shopping for groceries" and gave them a little grocery list and turned the break room into a shopping center and it was super fun! The last item on their shopping list was to get a Halloween cupcake which we made for them that my sweet family sent to me in a Halloween package! Wednesday night us and the Hermanas decorated our trunk and went to the ward trunk or treat which was way fun! We had some of our investigators come and they had a really good time so we were super excited about that! We stapled Mormon.org cards to all of our candy and had some book of Mormons in our trunk... :) HAHA. Yes. and one of the recent converts in the ward dressed up like a missionary so that was great :) 

On Halloween night we had to be inside by 6 o clock so we ate pizza and played games and talked with the Hermanas which is always a good time! 

Saturday was the Social Media Split! We started out the day by doing some service for a woman in our ward- she was getting ready for her daughters birthday party and so we cleaned up her yard a little bit, made treat/ goodie bags, and then she fed us lunch! She has the coolest backyard- she has her own chicken coop....I think I want to do that with my post mission life. Chicken coop. Fresh eggs. Yes. I just stood there and watched the chickens for like 5 minutes ha, ha. They are sweet. After that we went and helped another member put together a Christmas present for her son who is serving a mission in Colorado- she is making him a t shirt quilt so we got it all pinned together! I thought that was a cute idea :) We then had some lessons with investigators/less active members, and then went and helped a member clean her dance studio which was my personal fave thing about the social media split because we got to do some dancin' after we finished cleaning and then she invited us to come on p-days and she will teach us a private dance class with church approved music so we are going to do that today which i am PUMPED about. :) 

The social media split was so great though because it gave us a great opportunity to bond and get to know the members even more and that is one of the things I love most about missionary work is getting to know and love the people because it helps in blessing their lives with the gospel! 

Yesterday I stood and bore my testimony in sacrament and expressed my thanks to all of the amazing members of the ward who support and love us as missionaries because yes baptisms and investigators are great and important- but when you earn the trust of members and have such strong relationships with them and truly love the area and people in which you serve is when missionary work turns into missionary fun :) To be honest yesterday was the first time i had ever stood up during sacrament and bore my testimony in my entire life. I have done it at girls camp and in seminary and every day as a missionary, but I have never felt that burning desire to stand up in front of everyone until yesterday. I was sitting in my chair just like I do every Sunday, and then all the sudden my heart started to pound so hard that I could barely handle it or sit still and next thing I knew, I was blubbering up on the stand but I am so grateful for the opportunity I have to share my testimony and hopefully strengthen those around me and I know that it is so important to not only bare our testimonies on fast Sundays but just in the lives that we live and I can honestly say that I am blessed by all ya'll- who live your testimonies and I am so grateful for all of you who have helped my testimony be what it is today! 

Thanks for all the support- I love ya'll! :)

Much love, Sister C