Aug 24th, 2015

Look at that cute Sister Missionary!  Love that smile!  

                            Seeing lots of Utah License Plates this month in Virginia!

A member put decals on their nails for them!

On their way to teach lessons!

Cami got to teach her investigators, Bill and Kim again! They have callings and are FANTASTIC!  Cami couldn't be happier about their progress in the gospel.  

Exchanges!

New investigator, Baptismal date set.  

Another saved soul because they are serving the Lord.  

Check!

A member gave them some fresh Pepper Spray!  

Keep those cute girls safe and protected!

I just logged onto my email after a lonnnnnnnnnnng week to find sooooooooooooooooo much joy and love and support and I am just feeling so blessed today! I am doing good but am learning that every week Heavenly Father gives me opportunities to be humbled and just accept His will. I learned this week studying, praying and just thinking, that one of the hardest things in this life is to accept the will and timing of the Lord. How do we just put everything aside and not think about ourselves and just trust that He will make everything right?! I had to have that come to Jesus with myself this week and I have never felt better about my future and about life! I decided that sometimes we have to lose our lives to find it. :)

"There's surely somewhere a lowly place

In earth's harvest fields so wide

Where I may labor through life's short day

For Jesus, the Crucified.

So trusting my all to thy tender care,

And knowing thou lovest me,

I'll do thy will with a heart sincere:

I'll be what you want me to be."

Have a great week yall!

Xo, Sister Carlson

Aug 17th in the 

Newport News, Virginia Mission

This is what missionaries who die their hair 

from a box look like when it doesn't turn out like they 

wanted or like the box said...

Mini mission with recent convert Prettier.  

Yep, that's her name!

Treats!

Car time!

Calendar they created of what their prospective convert needs to do before her baptismal date. So organized!!!

Driveway tattoo!

Hands of Jesus Statue

Hello, hi.

Well uh...its just been another week in the grind. On Monday Sister Harrison and I dyed our hair. Out of a box. Something I told myself I would never do as a blonde. and then I decided...WHAT THE HECK!! That was a terrible experience but...hilarious. :) We were both kinda ticked after we did it to realize neither of ours looked anything like the box said it would. Shocker, right? But luckily both of ours have faded and we aren't looking as flamboyant as we once were. HAHA YELLOW AND PURPLE HAIR FOR DAYZ.  #noregrets 

Tuesday was the day of conference calls. It seriously felt like that's all we did! Every Tuesday from now on as a matter of fact. We have a district leader call and then an MLC call every Tuesday for the leaders of the mission. That was cool. Wednesday we went on a Mini Mission with a recent convert...which was interesting. 

My favorite part of the week was that the elders had a baptism on Friday and our investigator Rachel came and it just so happened that President and Sister Baker came and she got to meet them! and then on Saturday we set her with a baptismal date of September 12th! So that was just splendid! She is doing so good and just loves the Gospel. I love when people allow the Gospel to change their lives. :) It's just the best ever! Also on Saturday I went to the Urgent care....Sister Baker and my companions orders...they gave me SICK cough syrup. YUCK. I want to cry every time I drinketh of it. But at the doctor's office, the lady at the front desk got to call my Deedle and I was suuuuper jealous/freaking out that she was on the phone with him right in front of my face. He told her to tell me he loves me and hopes I feel better :) Cutie. 

Yesterday we had a good Sabbath- we were driving to church listening to conference CD's and it made me think about how much I stinkin' love Utah and conference and being a Mormon. I love the way that I have been raised. Romans 1:16 I am not ashamed of the gospel. :) 

I KNOW IT, I LIVE IT, I LOVE IT!!

-Sister Carlson

Transfer week in the Chesapeake Virginia Mission!

Fort Story Light House

With the Military Relations Sr. Missionary Couple

Relief Society Presidency in Kempsville, VA

Sister Strider

Glorious Anna's Baptism!!!!

Mission wide Conference!

New Companion, Sister Harrison

Sister Harrison goes home 1 transfer before Cami 
and they are both Sister Trainer Leaders together right now.

This is what they call Pig Pickin' at the Park

Cami and Sister Baker (Mission President's Wife)

Cami and previous comp.  Sister Barfuss

Previous Companion, Sister Crawford

MTC District

MTC Companion, Sister Fife

Cami with President Baker 
Mission President of the Chesapeake, Virginia Mission

Picture with the Assistants to the President

New Zone after transfers

These new responsibilities of being a Sister Training Leader, involves LOTS of car time.  
They are tearing up the Virginia Coastline.  
Lots of car time=silly missionaries

Helping clean up.
Fun with the paper shredder at the church.  
Let's play...find the sister missionaries!

Rejection, rejection, rejection.  It's the life of a missionary!

HELLLOOO HII!!!!

OHkkkk well, this week has been sweeeet. I will start from the beginning :) Last Monday Sister Thornton and I went with the Military Relations couple Elder and Sister Johnson to the Fort Story light house which was way cool and there on the beach there were a ton of dolphins! Ya, I know. 

Tuesday was Anna's baptism which was seriously the best experience of my mission so far. {pics above} 

Wednesday was like last minute packing and cleaning for transfers...and then later that day I got my new compppp!! :) WHO I STINKIN' LOOOOVE. Her name is Sister Harrison. We're best friends. Both from Sandy, Utah. Our companionship so far has been wild and we are just loving it. We are so tired but its that good kind of tired when you know you are working hard for the Lord. ;) 

Thursday was a mission wide conference in Chesapeake which was SO FUN- we had about 3 hours of training from President Baker, took a mission picture, and then had a pig pickin' at a park near the church! It was sweet to be with all my friends and comps from all over the mission. Me and my district from the MTC all took a picture together. So that was tender. :) at the conference we got a mission handbook- like the regular white handbook for missionaries except this one is specific rules to our mission and the cool part about it all is that it has the additional verse to our mission hymn in it! which is brightly beams our fathers mercy :) [see below] 

Friday we had zone meeting. Sister Harrison and I were asked to Role play introducing the Book Of Mormon and President and Sister Baker just dropped in on our zone meeting so we chose them to be our pretend investigators :) that was a good experience. 

Yesterday our Sabbath was good-we are teaching a girl who is married to an excommunicated member of the church, and she came and brought her husband and afterwards he came up to us and said: "Thank you for teaching my wife...it got her here, which got me here, and I forgot how much I love coming to church."that made us smile :) Way good week though! I've never been more tired or happier in my life! :)

"Chesapeake, your faith is shining, as the lights along the shore...

Reaching out to Fathers children, guiding each to Him once more.

Let the lower lights be burning, send a gleam across the wave....

Some poor fainting, struggling seaman, you have rescued, you have saved."

Xo, Sister Carlson

Hermana Johnson's Birthday!

Ever seen a waffle cake?  Now you have!  Sister MIssionary fun!

Cami's Trainer Sister Amber Garvin went back to the mission and 

was so thoughtful to leave Cami a treat on her doorstep. Awesome!

Leaving the area, so it's time once again to get 

pictures with some of her favorite people from the area.  

 Hello Hello!! 

My week has been MADNESS. But it was still good :) On Tuesday I finally went to the doctor for my cough. He diagnosed me with Bronchitis and prescribed me some Tylenol w/codeine and an inhaler. So I took it as soon as possible...and a few hours later, I broke into hives. I told the Doctor...(he just so happens to be the Bishop in Norfolk) and he told me to stop taking it and that he would send in a new medication...So on Thursday I got a new medication and I was still breaking into hives....so then I stopped taking medicine all together and I still have hives. So that's my health in a nutshell right now. Rock on. 

Tomorrow our investigator Anna is getting baptized!!! SO happy for her!! and then she is going to youth conference from Thursday to Saturday and they are going to Palmyra New York! So that will be good for her to experience!!! :) I would like to go there someday! Transfer calls happened on Saturday and I am getting transferred to Newport News to be a Sister Training Leader on Wednesday! It's going to be another crazy week. Baptism and packing tomorrow, transfers on Wednesday, and a mission wide training on Thursday! Love it.

This is my fav quote so I thought I'd share:

"Promise yourself to be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind. Look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true. Think only of the best, work only for the best, and expect only the best. Forget the mistakes of the past and press on to greater achievements of the future. Give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize others. Live in the faith that the whole world is on your side so long as you are true to the very best that is within you!"

Have a BLESSED WEEK!