Happy Easter from the Poquoson, Virginia Missionaries!

    Goofy Elders!

 The Elders play this game on P-Day that the sisters are not allowed to play 

and it's called Oompa Loompa.  They made jerseys for it out of old dress shirts 

and they made jerseys for the Sisters so they wouldn't feel left out. Cute!

All the boys are touching but don't get too close to those girls!!! HA!

That's my girl!!! Bo BLUE!  Even in Virginia!

 This is Cami and her Companion shopping with Taryn Fairchild, a nice lady in Poquoson who was kind enough to take them shopping today.  They are SHOE shopping, can't you tell?  (Cami's continued 18 month vaca!)  Taryn sends me this text saying...we are having a BLAST!  She could be my personal shopper!  I never buy myself stuff.  I find a lot more when I'm with someone who knows how to shop.  Ha, ha!  She certainly found the right girl for that job!!!  Enjoy her while you have her Taryn! My wardrobe is starting to suffer along about now.  I had to promise Cami that I wouldn't make any major clothes purchases while she was gone! I kind of need her back to straighten me out! #shoppergirl!

What no shoes?  This is Sister Carlson NOT finding any shoes.  By the looks 

of her bank account, I believe she found some shortly after this picture was taken! 

The shopper girl prevails!

This is Cami's sad face when her sparkle gel pen runs out of ink.  

She's written so many notes with it, she ran it completely out!  Bone dry!  

Darn!  Time to go to Target again...Taryn!!!!!

This is my sweet, hard working missionary, Cami Girl...this morning saying goodbye from the Poquoson, VA Library...and just like that...Poof! She's gone for another week!

Yeah, you're right, I kind of miss her a LOT this week.  I think it was the General Women's Broadcast that did it.  One more Women's Gen Conf. Broadcast and my 'date' will be home!   We're half way home.  It's going pretty fast...I guess...faster for you than me! :)

And this is Cami's Easter Box...I think this just might be our best one yet! :)

I hope she likes it.  It was so fun to put together!

And now, a few words from Sister Carlson!

Howdyyyyyyy.

What a blessed week it has been. Full of every emotion on the human spectrum. But...I love it. This week I am grateful for the eternal perspective that the gospel gives me. I am reading "Our Search for Happiness" by Elder Ballard and I basically..........am obsessed. A. because modern and personal revelation is the best thing ever.  and B. although there are many differences between the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and other churches, I firmly believe that what sets us apart [as Elder Ballard mentions] is that it all comes down to the great blessing of having an eternal perspective. Regardless of what we suffer and endure in this life, it is only a small moment compared to our entire eternal existence. We are able to be truly happy as members of the church because we know that all will be made right. We trust in God and humbly submit to his will. I am also grateful for the testimony I have of the priesthood and for the complete faith I have in the leaders of the church. I truly could not be more grateful for worthy men who faithfully fulfill this sacred duty. This weekend I was filled with happiness when I watched the General Women's broadcast and it was all about families and the divine roles women are privileged to play. I am so grateful for my fambam, and for the Christ centered home I was raised in, and that i get to be here, helping others have it in their homes as well :) I am grateful for Jesus Christ. After learning so much about his love and continuing to do so, it has become easy and natural to just simply trust him. Someone wise told me a couple months ago: "Don't sweat the small stuff- and by the way, its all small stuff." :) the gospel is my happiness. I am so truly happy and grateful and full of love. And for anyone who is wondering....THE CHURCH IS TRUE.

........................and thats my piece :) Have the best week ever and........WATCH CONFERENCE!!!! :)

Your sister in the faith, Sister Carlson :))))))))

Quote of the week:

"The Lord has enough wagon riders...He needs more wagon pushers. Be a wagon pusher."

A Day in the Life of a Missionary!

Spatula: 1 Cami: 0

Cami is sporting her new raincoat from Target! 

Apparently it rains a LOT there!

Treat time!

HOLLAAA.

Well this week has been rockin! I just love it here. We have had some suuuper good lessons and things are going really well with the work. Had a couple embarrassing moments this week.....

1. I dropped a member's plate ON THE FLOOR AND BROKE IT INTO PIECES after dinner last Tuesday. Yeah so that was....awkward. I still feel so bad. 

2. Then the next day we're walking and my tag just falls off in the middle of the intersection. So then I had to hurry and grab it before a car got me...ey yi yi. 

On Saturday it was cool we got our investigators with a baptismal date to come to a baptism in the ward and then later that night to the ward talent show which was great! They really liked it and they are doing good! We are excited for them. The week after conference is the weekend we are shooting for the baptism! 

At the ward talent show sister Crawford and I played "I hope they call me on a mission"- I played on the piano and she did the violin and guitar! I'm sure my mom is happy to hear that I am playing the piano again :) she was right I shouldn't have quit ha,ha! Have a great week everyone!

-Sister Carlson

Momma's notes:  Not sure I want to know that she was running around in an intersection with cars zipping by trying to grab her name tag.  Don't they have a backup?

I'm smiling from EAR TO EAR right now that I am finally vindicated for trying to get her to stay in piano lessons.  If playing the piano again is one of the things she learns from her mission, I'll be one happy camper!  Children, listen to your mothers!!!! HA! :)  

Happy St. Patty's Day!

Well, she got the box on time, but it appeared that they drug it from SLC to Virginia!

The Relief Society had a Super Hero's dinner party and this was their cute party favor!

The Super Hero's of mission work in Virginia!

The missionaries got to go to the Raleigh N.C. Temple!

Cami and Sister Crawford!

It was also a great time to meet up with Sister Fife.  Cami's MTC Comp.

Hooowwdddyyy!!!

Life is good here in Poquoson. 

This week is even better than any old week because we got to go to the temple!!!! Ask me if it was the best experience of my mission so far. And I will say HECK YES. I missed the temple so much. They weren't kidding when they said the Raleigh temple was small-but it didn't make the slightest difference! It was so incredible. The senior couple we rode up with luckily got us there first, so we got to be on the first row in the endowment. *BLESSED* I will never forget the feelings I had as I sat in the Celestial Room with all the other Elders and Sisters and President and Sister Baker. Such a glorious and sacred experince :)))))))))) Hopefully that experience will carry me through the rest of my mission until I get to go there again! 

We have had some super good lessons this week and I am just loving it here. I taught the 4th discussion on Saturday for the first time in my entire mission! Our investigators with baptismal dates are doing SUUUUPER good! They downloaded LDS gospel library on their phone and they just love it. Yesterday at church they were so excited to tell us that they had been listening to the book of Mormon! and they whipped it out during church for all the hymns and stuff. Haha they are the best! 

Last night we had dinner with the Rigtrups which was just so great! Shout out to Sister Rigtrup for making Sunday Roast and yummy chocolate pie for dessert. 

My trainee (Sister Crawford) is good. We are having lots of fun together, she is a good missionary :) 

Have a good week ya'll!!!

-Your sister in the Faith, Sister Carlson 

March 2015

Thanks a BUNCH for this cute pic, Taryn Fairchild!

The girls at Messick Point

Sister Cutler took the girls out to Messick Point

Fish bones everywhere!

There's our beautiful Cami!

Jellyfish

                                         Awww.  Baby girl!  I miss you!!! :) Love, Mom

So glad you're happy though!  

Thank you the people of N. Carolina and Virginia 

for taking care of our baby girl!

What an incredible week it has been!!!!!!!!! 

First and foremost we set the husband and wife we are teaching with a baptismal date of April 11th!!!!! HAPPIEST OF DAYS!  So great. We got done teaching the the Plan of Salvation and the wife goes.."So what do we need to do to prepare for our baptism?.." Me and my comp were just like umm...well....hahah!!! I've never had anyone ask me that, so it was really cool. They are so excited and I love watching the changes that are coming over them! It was so cute because at first, the wife had to work on Sundays, and she was trying to get it off so she could come to Sacrament, and her boss told her she could have the mornings off, so she wanted to just come to church and surprise us, but her husband got too excited and called us and told us ha,ha!! They have been having a lot of cool experiences, they went on a trip on Friday and there GPS took them some random way they have never been before and it took them on a road where a Mormon church was and they were like HEYYY!!!!! They were really excited to tell us about that too. :) We had a good church tour with them on Saturday night and the spirit was strong when we showed them the baptismal font and when we were in the chapel. Such great people. 

Saturday we also found a new investigator and he came to church yesterday and loved it so that was super great! We have another lesson with him on Wednesday so we are looking forward to that. Yesterday it was so great because there member of the Nags Head ward at church here in Poqouson! I was seriously so happy. SHOUT OUT TO ALL MY NAGS HEAD HOMIES!!!! :))))))))))) Brother Kelly I hope you are reading this on my blog! I miss ya'll!!! I haven't forgotten you :) 

Last week someone that I was privileged to meet and serve with in Nags Head- Hermana Haywood- sent me this really great thing that I wanted to share in my email this week! So credit goes to her but its called 

"The Highs and Lows of a Mission:"

A mission is a strange experience. It is a trial and a test.

A mission throws at you the worst, yet teaches you the best.

I've never been so happy, I've never been so depressed.

I've never felt so forsaken, I've never felt so blessed.

I've never been so confused, things have never been so clear.

I've never felt my Heavenly Father so distant...He's never been so near.

I've never been so discouraged, I've never been so full of hope.

I feel I could go on forever!......I think I'm at the end of my rope.

I've never had it quite so easy...I've never had it quite so tough.

Things have never been so smooth....things have never been so rough.

I've never traveled through more valleys, I've never ascended more peaks,

I've never met so many nice people...I've never met so many freaks!

I've never had so many ups, I've never had so many downs.

I've never worn so many smiles, I've never had so many frowns.

I've never been so lonely, I've never had so many friends.....

BOY I hope this is over soon.....GOSH I HOPE THIS NEVER ENDS!"

Have a great week everyone! MUCH LOVE! :)

-Your Sister in the Faith, Sister Carlson

March forth with Faith!

Lots of snow pics this week.  They have LOTS of snow in Poquoson.  It shut the schools down all week and grounded their car on the week they got the car!  Good thing she is a good driver and has experience driving in snow!

A sweet sister brought the sisters dinner in, when they were apartment bound.  

Kids in their apartment brushing snow off their car.  They thought that was so nice!

Might as well do some service while everything is shut down!

Gotta love shoveling snow in a dress!

I just had to remind myself that its not February anymore when I was writing the date...HAPPY MARCH YA'LL!!! :)))))))))))))))

life is going great. this week was so good. First week with my lovely trainee and the lord is blessing us!!! Let me whip out my planner so i can remember all that i want to talk about. 

We had a super good lesson with a recent move in/less active on Tuesday. Can I just say what a humbling experience it is, to walk into a strangers home and sit and cry with them and have them trust you completely?! There are no words to describe. 

On Thursday the snow sort of put us down and out. Our car was grounded, so one of the ward missionaries came and got us a brought us to her house and we shoveled driveways and tried to stay productive!! The snow is pretty though! :) 

On Saturday I had a pretty interesting experience. Good interesting. During district meeting we were talking about how as missionaries, we are the Lords hands. Later that day we were at the nursing home doing service and one of our investigators called and I answered and she explained that she was having a really hard time and that she needed help. As a 19 year old girl...I had to no idea what to say in order to comfort her. I have NO IDEA what she is going through. I've never experienced even half of the things she was talking to me about. And for a moment, despite all of my shortcomings, I caught a small glimpse of how the Savior must feel when we come to him and ask for help. The whole time I was on the phone with her I was just praying that I would be "be his hands" and be able to talk to her how the Savior would talk to her and comfort her the way he would. It was hard. But it was something that I will never forget. I think its so interesting that although the Lord is all knowing, all powerful, and could do anything that he wants really, he gives US (human beings) the opportunity to perform service and acts of kindness and love for our brothers and sisters. He gives us our agency and the power to follow him, and show our love through obedience so we can learn and grow and become like him. I've come to realize that the gospel is what life is all about. It's the whole reason that we are here :) 

Yesterday we had 3 investigators at church and 4 less actives! That's the most I have ever had come and it just felt so good to know that the spirit is touching them and making a difference in their lives like it is mine. I hope ya'll have a great week!

Your sister in the faith, Sister Carlson