May 26, 2009

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALI!!!!!

We do still get P-day on Memorial day, however the MTSU library is closed along with all the other libraries in the state it seems. However I have the keys to the church and the family history library is open on Holidays so we can still e-mail!

No baptisms this week =( but they're both still progressing. Ben bonked our appointment on Wednesday and his phone ran out of minutes so we had no way to get hold of him for the rest of the week. Then he just showed up at church again and now we're meeting with him again. So he no longer has a date but we'll reset his this week, on Tuesday actually. As for Matt he set his own date for the 30th but now we find out that his parents are really not wanting him to get baptized. Granted they can't technically do anything about it, but they keep finding reasons to keep him in Woodbury over night so he misses our appointments with him. All he's got to do is quit smoking (I say that like it's an easy thing) and then he's good for baptism. So we're still working with them, and maybe this week will be the one that they both get baptized. Then Tommy is doing alright. We tried to commit him to a date last time we were there and he told us that it would take an act of God to get him baptized. We agreed to his terms. We'll meet with him on Thursday morning and see how things went. He's a good guy, he just really wants to make sure he's doing the right thing, and he felt like God led him to be baptized in his last church and he doesn't want to leave that one unless he's sure that God is leading him again.

We also met two older people this week, Barbra and Norman. They were really reserved at our first contact. They were a member referral from another ward and they live kinda out in the boonies so they were supervised to find two people coming to knock on their door. We set a return appointment and then met with them on Wednesday, our ward mission leader brother Fulton came with. We taught a first lesson and they were really impressed that we didn't try to convince them to believe us, but we just asked them to read and pray to find out on their own. It was pretty sweet. At the end of the appointment they asked if we'd be interested in having them grill us some burgers and having dinner with them on this coming Wednesday. So naturally we accepted :). They have a lot of potential. They're really dissatisfied with other churches and have a very strong belief in personal revelation. So barring anything unforeseen they'll be progressing swiftly towards baptism.

Its really really weird to think that Mitch is going to be leaving so soon! Its reallllly weird to think that I've already been out five months!! It does not seem like its been that long! Nate Jensen wrote me this week (he was the roommate that wasn't really a roommate) he's getting his shots and stuff and Steve already has his mission call to Georgia. Its crazy how fast everything happens.

Elder Dean is from the Portland area. He's been out about 2 months longer then I have. He likes to talk a lot, and he's really good about talking with people, but he's really not good about tying it into the gospel. He's a good guy though, just a little awkward sometimes. Makes for an interesting time.

Just an update I haven't been sick yet. My allergies are surprisingly not bothering me at all, and I haven't had any migraines yet :). I struggle with journal writing too, I have trouble writing daily because I just can't seem to find the time, I do write in it about once a week, and the entries are quite long and detailed. I do find that my study journal entries are much better though. I have 3 study journals that I'm currently using. I've got my all encompassing one that I use to plan trainings and to take notes on trainings and for random topical studies. Then I've got one dedicated to just my scripture study, it has 4 sections and I'm working on the Old Testament (Leviticus is hard!!) and the Doctrine and Covenants right now. Then I've also got a study journal dedicated to the Atonement and everything that I can find on that. Then I have a 4th one that's random stuff too, but that one is already full, its the one I started in the MTC. So study journals are really awesome, especially when you get called on to talk because you already have all the stuff you need right there! So I think using a journal is an awesome idea, and so does Preach my Gospel ;).

That's all that has really gone on this week. Hope all is well back home. Love you lots!!

Love Elder Carpenter