3/8/10

Hi!

This week was really good. We are calling this month miracle march because we have a mission goal thats never been achieved before. We are going to baptize 200 and reactivate 200 people this month! I am really excited! From the first day of march we started to see incredible miracles. We found 5 people this week that are preparing for baptism. One is for the 20th and the other 3 are for the 27th. It is a couple and a brother of the wife. The other one doesn't have a date yet but he will soon. Please pray for them that they will be able to overcome certain addictions. I believe they will. We have been going on a lot of member trade offs the past few weeks because the branch mission leader wants to get the ward excited about missionary work. Although in the south area here we are really struggling for rides. We keep finding more and more people that don't have transportation and there's hardly any members that live in the south area. Most of the ones that do are in leadership and have to go too early and the rest aren't willing to help. We are 10-15 min from the church so its really hard to keep our recent converts plus our investigators going to church. I think they may have to start taking a bus or something. Pray that we will find enough transportation. One Sunday we had to just take someone in our car or he wouldn't have gotten confirmed (which we technically aren't supposed to do, but our AP's said to do whatever you have to do).

Everything else is going really well though. Last Sunday everyone was lame and didn't do anything but today we are for sure going to the beach! And next week the sisters invited us to go to the Jacksonville Zoo! Ive been wanting to go for a while now. I got the letter from Caleb. Thanks Caleb! Youre pictures are hanging in front of my desk. Hmmm... I feel like im running out of things to say in my emails cause not much changes here in the life of a missionary. This morning we have to help the office couple reorganize the storage shed for the mission. We actually work really close to the mission office so whenever we have to turn something in we swing by and they always have a bunch of snacks sitting out for missionaries. Thanks for paying the loan payment. I also got your postcard from D.C. dad. Thanks! Oh for the in-state tuition you have to live in Utah for a year and can only leave the state for a total of 30 days throughout the year. I think you might have to get a Utah drivers license too. Theres a lot of dumb rules for it i think. So Rachel and i will probably have too work there one summer. Im starting to lean more towards waiting till the fall to start school. I havent decided yet. Am i already registered for the spring? Hold on i have to log back on Oh i cant remember if i told you but last month Pres Newman decided that from now on we can only listened to Motab and talks. Not even hymns or other church artists. Only Motab... So if you happen to have any Motab or preferrably some good talks feel free to send some. Motab gets old really fast and i only have too cds. We are sacrificing a lot this month for miracle march. The whole mission is also sacrificing listening to any music in the apt., writing or emailing anyone but family, and eating out at restaurants and fast food. My comp and i also decided to sacrifice our lunch time. Normally spanish missionaries study till 11 and then eat till 12 and then leave for the rest of the day. We started leaving and 11 now and are going to have to make a sandwich and bring some snacks or something to eat. It will all be worth it in the end though when we can see so many of our brothers and sisters come unto Christ.

So someone gave us a crockpot for our apt. and i bought a bunch of ingredients to make a beef stew. I threw it all together and let it slow-cook all day Sunday and ate it last night after i broke my fast. It was delicious! First time i've ever made a stew or soup. I put it thin beef steak, potatoes, carrots, onions, tomatoes, and jalapenos. The flavor was really good but do have an idea of how to make a beef soup thicker mom? It was a good change up from beans and rice almost everyday. We also all bought some ingredients and made a better-than-"tracting" cake. MMMM!!!! Well i dont have too much else to say. Hope everything is still going great and im glad everyone got to go skiing! Hey what are you thinking of studying at Utah State by the way Rachel? Just curious. And great job on being a missionary and handing out a Book of Mormon. Keep on top of him so he reads and prays if the missionaries don't. Way to be an example to the family and your friends. Keep it up! Everyone have a great week!

Love,
Elder Carty