Sister San Diego

This week we will be having our Halloween PARTAY! I'm actually really excited :P

Chili cook-off, trunk-or-treat, carnival games you name it. We got it.

Highlights of the week:
Saturday, the YSA sisters had a baptism for a wonderful 18 year old
girl named N!
We brought our new investigator K(who we were going to pass off
to YSA anyway ha) and AAAAAAH MAN! It was amazing. N was so
excited! After the actual baptism, Ngot out of the water and
started walking into the women's changing room. Sister Weidmann
creaked open the door and whispered "Good job N" and the spirit
just hit me. I started crying and when Sister Weidmann turned around,
I could see tears in her eyes, so of course we made eye contact and
both started crying some more. I love being a missionary.
It seems I've met some long, lost friends while being out here.
Certain people just get me smiling and laughing like there's no
tomorrow. Sister Whitcomb, Starr, Saedan, Weidmann, Seo, and Hendrix
have literally became sisters of mine. I'm sure the rest of my family
will like them too ;) Sure hope y'all do cause they're my family while
I'm out here. Scratch that, they'll be my greatest friends for all
time an eternity. I cannot imagine (now that i'm here), ever having
not come on a mission. It is soooo life changing. I... am so overcome
with emotions right now, I think I'll just leave it at that.
Yesterday was one of those non-stop funny things happening to us days.
The best of which was going over to the Howard's for dinner. HAHA!
They are the sweetest, cutest, newly wedded people of all time. We
arrive with their meatloaf still in the oven, and every time they
checked it to see if it was done, the smoke detector would go off XD
Sister Howard was like "OH MAN! You guys are probably going to write
this entire thing in you journals saying how crazy we are". The entire
time... I couldn't stop laughing!
I am so grateful for our ward council. I cannot see myself in the
future, serving in a leadership calling without first having served a
mission. It's amazing getting to work with one another and doing
everything we can to serve this ward.
WELL! There is so much that happens in one week... I can't even.. think.
We're off to go carve pumpkins at old town ;)
Last week we went to Balboa Park and it was really pretty!

Keep on keepin' on!


-Sister Carlson

Sister San Diego

Yup... I'm just gona' get to the good part.
EHEM! So Saturday we got this call from a woman named Nancy (later
calling herself Danielle) and the first thing out of her mouth was
"I'm possessed by a demon."... Well alright then.
I took it rather well I think. Told her we have men that could give
her a blessing. She knew where the LDS temple was and I told her to
hold while I made a few calls. First was President Schmitt.. but he
didn't answer. Next was Bishop... Still no answer. So we paced around
the church building for a few minutes. Finally President called back
and after explaining to him what had happened he paused... then asked
us to rewind and tell him again what had happened ha! After explaining
a second time and him having asked a few added questions, he paused
again... then proclaimed "... Holly cow, I'm going to die. I don't
want to die, I'm too young."
Unexpected as it was, I tried not to die laughing while he instructed
us to give him Nancy's (Danielle's) number so he could set something
up.
Strange day.
I thank my God for filling my mouth with the right words to say and
filling my soul with confidence in times of discord.
After the drive home, the first words from Sister Hendrix were "I need
a hug from the Lioness...". I had to agree. Sister Weidmann was glad
to accommodate.
President had told Nancy (Danielle) to go to the YSA ward's building
the following day to get a blessing. YSA told us when she got there,
she just stared at them and said "No thank you" o______o
Sunday was AWESOME! I sang Come Thou Fount for the President's
Fireside! Sister Whitcomb was a great accompanist and I just die every
time I see her because she's just the beeeeest. She actually taught
Doug before he came down to La Jolla ha!
Fun moment:
At the Fireside, a recent convert was bearing his testimony and ended
it with "Some people say you must have no brain to be mormon, so I'll
tell them YUP! It was a no brainer for me to become mormon!" Both
Sister Seo and Sister Weidmann looked at me in that moment (Audience
laughing in the background) with blank faces. International sisters
are the best. It made me laugh... so much. Once I repeated to them the
joke and explained "no brainer" they both laughed really hard after
everyone had finished laughing XD
Yesterday was one of those days where literally everyone we visited or
called asked us how we knew they needed us. "Angels". It makes me feel
really humble. All the members and less actives we saw just started
crying. AND IT WAS LIKE THAT ALL DAY!
I thank my God for filling my mouth with the right words to say and
filling my soul with confidence in times of discord.
WENT ON AN EXCHANGE WITH SISTER STARR! I went to Poway/Ramona area
again and that entire day.. I just could NOT stop laughing. I think
it's Sister Starr. My Mom ;)
Our day began with stalking a man named Riley
We got yelled at. "WHAT!"
Sister Starr was trying to street contact this lady and she literally
just walked away.
We ate dinner with this guy named Clarke.
He got us FOH! I was really good.
And again... I just could not stop laughing.
Last P-Day we went to to the La Jolla Coves and just hung out with our
roommates :) TODAY! We'll be going to an international museum haha.
KEEP ON KEEPIN' ON!!!!!!!
-Sister Carlson

Sister San Diego

New Companion
Sister Hendrix from Georgia.

Hey everyone!
It's been a really fun, productive week!
A few days ago, we helped the YSA sisters put up lights at the
temple!!! It was quite the endeavor haha! Sister Weidmann had this
super long poll thing and we would try stringing up red lights all
over these older, dying trees. It was so much fun! I mean common'...
it was at the temple 😉
Yesterday we also helped YSA at a members home, digging out weeds! Wes
(le member) gave Sister Seo this little shovel.. Because she's cute
and little. Everyone laughed. Later, he found this little fork in the
dirt.. So he handed it to her and said "to go with your shovel" and
everyone laughed a looooot harder :)
Sister Seo is like a real life anime character heh!
This morning I auditioned to sing for the next Mission President's
Fireside! Sister Whitcomb accompanied me! BLESS HER HEART! Oh and
we're hanging out with her pretty much the rest of the day! WHICH
REMINDS ME! It's both of our 5 months mark... Which means next month
is our 6 months... Which means I'll be 1/3rd of the way done....
Crazy. Too fast.
Some cool experiences this week!
The other day we got a phone call from Mandarin sisters and they told
us there was a man at the temple who really wanted to speak with us.
We were all.. Ok why not, we don't have anything set for a while. So
we drove over to the Temple and met a man named D. His first words
were "I really want to be baptized". WELL OK! We talked with him a bit
more and he was really set on putting his life together and submitting
his will to the lords. His testimony was burning and instead of giving
him a date to work towards for baptism, we simply just asked him how
soon he wants to get it done. He picked Halloween 😆
Now we're just going to do our part in helping him get there.
This week I gained an even brighter testimony on patriarchal blessings
and how important taking the sacrament is. The past few weeks I was
struggling a bit with a few mental mountains. Just hick ups that were
dragging me down and I felt really discouraged. I didn't know how to
over come because really, overcoming meant not only changing my
behavior but the way I think. I've never knelt so much in my life
asking for something so badly. But God knows me better than I know
myself. Through earnest prayer and study, I was able to receive
answers to every hard question I had, I could feel God's love for me
and through the prophet's and apostles received direct revelation from
conference. Sunday, I also fasted for not only myself, but for those
i'm teaching. While waiting for the bread and water to be passed, I
took out my patriarchal blessing and just read. Read about my mission,
read about my family, read about what I can do to over come this exact
challenge I was facing. One of the answers I received was to forget
myself and go to work :) interesting how turning outward and serving
others heals the soul. Once I did partake of the sacrament, I felt and
over whelming amount of love and piece. The atonement is real. Christ
suffered for me so that I could be out here on a mission telling
people how they can feel what I've felt. Total joy. Our heavenly
mother is real. I know without a doubt that is Gospel is true and it
can heal you and make you a better person.
So... It's become a thing now where everyone has a spirit animals XD
Sister Hendrix is a brown bear, I myself am a fox, Sister Weidmann a
lioness, and Sister Seo a hyena. HA and it fits them all so well ;)
Ah! I need to tell all y'all more about Sister Hendrix! She of course
comes from Georgia in a small town called McDona. She comes from a
family that has all but her grandmother fallen away from the church.
It's made her strong and I love being around her. I've gotten into the
habit of saying "yes ma'am" and "yes sir". AH! She's the best haha.
Yesterday, she submitted her entire family into Mormon.org so that the
missionaries could stop by ;)
Welp! I know I wouldn't be the person I am without this Gospel. Joseph
Smith truly did restore this church and he was a FANTASTIC man! I love
reading the Book of Mormon over and over just to feel of it's spirit
testify to me that what I'm doing is right. It's a book written of God
and his prophets, not of man. We actually as a mission have decided to
read the BoM cover to cover before Christmas! It's been amazing.
Nothing is more important than this work and I love losing myself to
it. I've fallen in love with the people here in San Diego and I can't
even think of the heart break I'll feel when I have to leave.
I think I mentioned this to Jenny, but any of you in Utah or around
there should go take a tour at temple square when Sister Weidmann
returns next month ;) she can even give you the tour in German! I love
her so much it hurts... Don't even want to think about next month when
we drop her off. BUT at least my family can go visit her. My sister
from another mister. Who lives in Switzerland... Haha! Love. Her.
Soooooo much.
Keep on Keepin' on folks. This church is true.
-Sister Carlson