Monday, July 8, 2013

Sister Florida


Hello Family!!!

So much has happened this week yet it went by so fast! Oh, and thanks to Jenny G, and Hanna Ockey! I got your letters this past week :)

It's been kind of a slow week gator wise. Everyone is out of town or had family over because of the 4th of July. 

Funny story to start out with. I usually don't have any trouble studying from 8-9 during Personal Study. I don't get sleepy or anything. This past week it's been harder for me for some reason. One morning this week I did a fine job staying awake during PS, but then I knelt down to pray. I was using my chair to rest my arms and head against, and somewhere during the prayer I dozed off for a couple of minutes. I thought I had just rested for maybe 2-3 minutes, but when I jerk awake and look up at the clock, 30 minutes had passed by! Sister Atkinson had thought I was having a really spiritual prayer. She thought it was hilarious. It was actually my face that was against the chair so when I actually moved, basically my whole face was red. Like Sokka when he traveled with the hippies to Omashu. My face really ached during that companion study!

The 4th of July wasn't all that great. We heard a lot of fireworks, but didn't see any. The trees are too tall even if someone did have rockets to see. Basically no one wanted to see us. We didn't have any appointments and it seemed no one was home, or would answer the door. The Sisters from 3rd Ward (Sister Toledo and her trainee Sister Jensen) came over for lunch. We made cupcakes and wore mustaches that we found at the dollar store for fun! It was a good time :)



Friday was AMAZING!! We got to meet President Craig! The first thing I noticed when he walked in was how different he looked from President Barry. In height. President Barry is Six foot Eight or something and President Craig is just taller than me. Both he and his wife went to Viewmont High School, (your high school mom) and were raised in Bountiful! But they are just a few years younger than you. Their full names are Pres. Paul Craig and Nadine Call Craig and they are definitely on fire!


President Craig said that a lot of the U.S. missions are getting iPads and Smart Phones for maybe 50 missions by the end of the year. I don't know if our mission is a part of that... he wasn't too specific. He did talk a lot about how ineffective tracting is. He went on a mission to Belgium and had no baptisms his whole mission, tracting 8-10 hours every day. He only got one referral his whole mission! I don't know if he's going to change anything about Facebook either. Sister Atkinson's sister is in the New Jersey mission and they're ALL using Facebook now. Maybe Pres. Craig will have all of us use it, or maybe he'll just keep it with a few. It'd be nice. Most of our investigators are the busiest people in the world and it gets old when people don't/can't answer your calls. At least on Facebook you can see if they've even looked at your message. 



Saturday 3rd Ward Sisters had a baptism! His name is H the III and he was so excited. The Sisters tell us that he takes detailed notes each of their visits. Three days before his baptism he stopped watching regular TV and only watched General Conference. Sister Atkinson and I made pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. Everyone love them. It was definitely different from M's baptism, but even though it was really short, I really felt the Spirit when the Bishop gave his testimony and their brand new Ward Mission Leader. 

We also referred on Friday night a former gator who was taught last year to Elder Gao, because she's Chinese, and he's from China! We had visited her once before and she didn't seem too interested. Apparently when he knocked on the door, she was so excited! She wants to be baptized now. Elder Gao has permission to go anywhere in Gainesville to talk to anyone who is Asian. He wants to get enough people to start an Asian branch.

So other than the drag over the holidays, it's been a really fun week! After going to Zone Meeting last Friday Sister Atkinson and I are pumped! We are going to find a bunch of people and baptize!!! And go golfing with Maggie today :)

Anyway, thanks for the letters and the prayers! Love ya!
~Sister Carlson
   PS      I forgot to mention! M was confirmed this past Sunday! It was amazing! She takes tennis really seriously and Saturday they were rained out for a Championship competition. She had to make the decision to pull out of the competition - it was even doubles! But she felt the Spirit so strongly when she was confirmed!