One Month Down! August 9th

Let's talk about the fact that IVE BEEN OUT FOR AN ENTIRE MONTH!
What?! That's crazy! Can you believe it ? I can't.
So remember how we went to IHOP for breakfast the morning I went to
the MTC? Well, Saturday morning, we had a correlation meeting with the
ward mission leader, and he took us to IHOP for breakfast! So I was in
the same place, eating the same thing at the same time as I was
exactly one month ago!:) soon that's pretty neat.

Now I'm no scientist, but I'm pretty sure there's a law in physics that says:
What goes up.....
Must come down!
That explains my week. This week has been quite rough! All of our
appointments kept falling through, nobody wanted to hear what we had
to say, many a door was shut in our face, and we just were not on top
of our game.... S. Osmond has been sick all week and we have both felt
very "bleh"... And it was just a looong hard week! BUT, the week is
now over, and a new week has begun! I have learned a lot about myself,
and been humbled in afflictions. I've also learned how real the
adversary is.,, he does NOT like missionaries one bit and will do
everything he can to bring us down and discourage us and interfere
with plans... But the great thing is god is just as real as satan is!
And if we exercise our faith in Christ, and pray always, with all the
energy of our hearts, then The Lord WILL deliver his people! So that's
pretty great! :) also, in d&c 121:7-9 we are promised that our
afflictions are but a small moment, and god is with us always! Those
few words of hope are what have kept me up all week! After all, "The
Lord is on my side, then why should I fear?" I have faith that this
week is gonna be much better:)

On Friday night, s. Osmond and I went to this families house in our
ward to do a member lesson, and I played the most BEAUTIFUL Steinway!
Nobody In their house plays, but they have it anyway, so it was a neat
experience for all of us! They had music in their house, and I got to
de-stress through music, and share my testimony through song! It was
really great:)
I haven't had huge missionary moments involving music, but there have
been a few times during lessons that we have sang a hymn together, and
it really brings the spirit strong! In a couple of weeks I have
exchanges with my Sister training leader, (who just happens to be
Sister Herring!) and we decided that we are going to use our musical
talents to the best of our bikinis for the 24 hours we are together to
share the gospel! So I am pretty excited bout that:)

On Saturday, we did something cool to spread the word: we got sidewalk
chalk and chalked the Plan of Salvation in a few different places
here. On bike paths, running paths and a path underneath a freeway
bypass! Elders Payne and McDonald (the elders who serve in the ward
with us) and elders Fink and Blanchard(our district leader and his
companion) came with us and helped! It was lots of fun! :)
unfortunately... It rained later that night.... But the ones under the
freeway stayed! And I guess this just means we will have to do it
again!;)

So there's another investigator that we have that I haven't told you about yet:
Jeff . 44years old. Owns two cats. He's a great guy and has been
meeting with the missionaries for a couple of months now.... Two weeks
ago we asked him to pray about being baptized on August 28th.. He's
going to tell us his answer this week when we meet with him! He used
to be really stubborn, but he's softened up a lot now. S. Osmond said
he used to always be like, "ohh there it is... There's the 'B'
word..." Whenever they would mention baptism... But I've met with him
like three times, and we have mentioned baptism very boldly every time
and he hasn't pushed the trout away or rejected us! So we are making
improvements! I really love Jeff. He's just awesome. He loves
superheroes and sci-Fy stuff.... Believes in aliens. It's great! Haha
he is struggling to recognize how The Lord answers his prayers
though... So if you could keep Jeff in your prayers that would be
great! S. Osmond and I have full faith that he will be baptized by the
end of this month though:) I think Jeff is totally ready!

Last night we were able to attend the baptism of a boy in our ward.
His dad had invited some co-workers, who are non members, and his son
hunter had invited his best friend and his family (a,so non members)
and so brother Olson invited us to attend, to help hasten the work!:)
it was SO beautiful. Baptism means so much more to me now that I'm on
a mission. I now TRULY know the importance of baptism! It IS the
saving ordinance. We cannot be saved, we cannot access the atonement,
we cannot truly come unto Christ and receive eternal life without
baptism! I know is to be true. I felt the Spirit testify of the
truthfulness to me. When hunter was baptized, and his dad immersed him
in the water, I felt Heavenly fathers love and approval SO STRONGLY. I
know that he was so very happy and proud of hunter for his decision to
be baptized. And if that's how he felt for hunter, that's how he feels
for all of his children. He loves each of us immensely. I know that of
a surety now. I cannot deny Gods love for his children. I cannot deny
gods love at all. God IS Love.
The Holy Ghost is such a sacred and wonderful gift! How blessed are we
to have a father in heaven that loves us so much, that although man
has fallen and transgressed, he would not leave us to walk the path of
life alone. We would not leave us comfort less. But he has provided a
means by which we can feel his love, presence, encouragement,
approval, and always be guided in what is right. Although Heavenly
Father and Jesus Christ cannot be with us right at this time, we are
still able to have the third member of the godhead wih us always. As
long as we choose to allow him to be with us. It really is up to us
and how we use our agency....
I don't know about you guys..... But I'm going to do everything I can
to constantly receive this precious gift from my father in heaven, and
I will hold it most sacred and dear. I am glad that I was baptized and
received the Holy Ghost. And I feel so grateful to have the chance to
serve Heavenly Father for 18 months, so that others can know and feel
what I know and feel! They too can receive this precious gift, along
with all the other many blessings that The Lord is just waiting to
pour out upon his children. By talking to everyone I am giving them an
opportunity to accept this blessing, and lighting the way back home.
Being a missionary is a HUGE responsibility. It's HARD. But it's so
REWARDING and fantastic! "How great shall be your joy when you bring
save it be ONE soul to the kingdom of my father" I have yet to bring a
soul all the way to gods kingdom, but, I have started to light the way
for them, and opened their eyes to the truthfulness of this gospel,
and just that much has brought me sooo much joy!:)

Sooo I realize that my thoughts this week are very scattered, nod
don't make much sense, and aren't super spiritual... So I'm sorry. But
I'm writing this on the metro on my way to Washington, D.C.!:) woot!

----- so we went to the holocaust museum. What a humbling experience.
And very so bearing as well.... I'm grateful for my freedom to
practice religion and not only practice it but to proselyte freely!
I'm so grateful for the men and women who have fought, and continue
fighting to keep this country free!:)

I hope all is well at home and that everyone is getting excited and
ready for school to start! I am honestly a little bit jealous, I
really would love to go to school! I love you all and am so grateful
for all your prayers in my behalf. I feel them. And they buoy me up.
Thank you:)

Much love,
Sister Carly Lewis xoxo

Hastening The Work! Monday August 4th

Dear Family and Friends,

Hi! :)

Has this week seemed to just zip by faster than lightning or... is it just me? I swear it was Monday just yesterday! Time goes by so quickly when you are having fun:) and boy oh boy have sis. Osmond and I been having fun!

I don't think a single day goes by that we don't shed tears from laughing so hard. Laughter is the best thing. It keeps the mood light, and the stress levels low. It's nice to be a missionary and to be reverent wherever we go, to be literal representatives of Jesus Christ, and to live by the spirit. But sometimes, people get too serious. Sis. Osmond an I have been able to find a nice balance of things, and I love it! Trevor wrote to me in a card before I left, "Have FUN. If you're not having fun, youre doing something wrong." And I have llived by those words! It is so true!

So now let me take a minute to brag about how awesome it is to be a missionary, and how the Washington D.C. South mission is the BEST mission in the WHOLE WORLD.

On Saturday, all of the missionaries for the d.c. south and d.c. north were able to go to the Washington Nationals Baseball game! woot woot!

It was so much fun! It also was a little unsettling because we aren't really allowed to participate in worldly things.. like listening to music, and sporting events, and loud cheering.... sooo it felt weird. but it was all for a purpose.

there is a national day of service in September, and our church is like, the head of this organization, however its not exclusive to just our religion, but ALL religions and people everywhere. We just organize it. So as a way to advertise, and kick it off, the missionaries attend the Nationals ball game. Their is a player on the team, Bryce Harper, and he is LDS. 21 years of age. and an amazing baseball player! WE go to support him, and to announce the service. it was wayyy fun, and I'm excited that I get to go next year as well:)

In order to get to the game, we had to take the Metro. and that was an interesting experience! Along with the many many hoards of missionaries headed to the game, there were all the Nats fans headed there as well! So the metro was PACKED. Everybody got to know every one else REALLY well... heh heh. just kidding. but we were like sardines.

Pres. Riggs challenged us to give away a Book of Mormon on the metro either to, or from the game... I didn't give one away unfortunately:( I almost did though! I did give them a pass along card and told them to check out Mormon.org. So if they have a true desire, they'll find their way to a book of Mormon eventually:) I hope!

This week we had a Half Mission Conference... which basically means, half of our mission gathers together so the President Riggs can give us a message he feels we need to hear,, ,, and OH BOY did we need to hear what he had to say! This conference was VERY inspired.

At the beginning of the year, this mission made it a goal to have 751 people baptized in 2014.That means in order to reach this goal, we must have 1 baptism, per companionship, per month! I know that it may seem like a crazy hard goal to reach but honestly... its not. IT shouldn't be.

We have been called by a Prophet of God to be fishers of men. In our call letter we are promised that as we serve the lord with ALL our heart, might, and strength, that he will place prepared people in our paths.

He WILL. That's an absolute. It's bound to happen. and it all depends upon our EXACT OBEDIENCE to the missionary handbook, the mission rules, and to our covenants. If every missionary is giving their all, 100% of the time, then they will be able to bring one soul to god every month!

That's what President and Sister Riggs addressed at the conference.

In june, 51 people were baptized, but in july there were only 21. Sister Riggs said we should give 100% every.single.transfer. This is the time of HASTENING THE WORK. We are the generation of the hastening. Not our parents (sorry mom and dad. I love you :)) not our grandparents, but us. the youth serving full time missions currently. And the youth of the church being raised right now [that's YOU abby and ethan!!:)]

So we need to put on the full armor of God and get to work! Don't treat life, and missionary work, as a lovely sunday stroll. In this day and age, the Adversary is using everything he's got to tear apart families, and take down this church, so we need to treat this as a marathon.

Satan is Fighting us EVERY DAY. He never rests. So we ought to fight back! We honestly cant afford to let off the gas and take a break! The work is still being hastened even when we're tired. God is hastening the work WITH or WITHOUT you. So are you on board or not?

Now you may be thinking, "Great Carly. This all sounds very good. but youre the one serving a mission! what has this got to do with me?"

well. We are all children of God aren't we? We are all spirit brothers and sisters. We are all family. We have a knowledge of the goodness of this gospel. We have the gift of the holy ghost. We all have a light. And do we hide that light under a bushel? OF COURSE NOT! the lord expects each of us to LET OUR LIGHT SO SHINE! We can all help the work move along!

"We all have work, let no one shirk, put your shoulder to the wheel!"

Something that I have learned while being out in the field is that we as full-time missionaries can only do so much on our own. We NEED help from the members. I don't know how many of you are aware of this, but the bretheren of the church have asked that a ward council meeting be held every sunday. [[This is a meeting where bishop, yw pres, ym pres, sunday school pres, primary pres, elders quorum pres, missionaries serving in that ward, and the ward mission leaders all meet together to discuss missionary work within that ward.]]

We need the help of the members in order to hasten the work. Members and missionaries must work together! If you see the missionaries sitting at church with an investigator, go introduce yourself and befriend them! Seriously! its the greatest thing! Theres many ways that we can all work together to hasten the work... in fact theres a whole section on it in Preach My Gospel, I ask that you please read through it and discuss as a family what you can do that week to help hasten the work along!

[[family, ask brother glahn if theres anything you can do! he's the ward mission leader and I know he will appreciate the offer!]]

Okay.

I'm going to step off my soap box now.

I wasn't even aware I started to climb on it.. oops!

Now I want to talk about Fast sunday.

I had heard from everyone that fast sunday is the WORST sunday on your mission! Normal sundays alone are long, and stressful.. so to go through that on an empty stomach is torture! So I was full-on expecting to have a horrible time.

Apparently, the lord had other things in mind for me though. Who ever told me that fast sundays are the hardest and the worst, must have been doing something wrong, because yesterday was the most wonderful fast sunday that I have had in my entire life. I felt so close to God. The spirit was abundant in every meeting, every minute of personal study, and throughout our companionship study. Why is this? well this is why I think it is,

"When I am weak, then am I strong" (2cor. 12:9-10)

read those scriptures! [[thanks Jessie!]]

In weakness, we are humbled, and we become submissive to all things, just like little children! and are we not asked in mosiah 3:19 to become like a little child? because when we do, we are more teachable. The spirit can more easier work within us, teach us, enlighten us, send us revelation. It's honestly quite beautiful. Another thing that comes with submissiveness, and becoming childlike, is that we are more willing to be exactly obedient.

That is key.

If we want his blessings, all he asks of us is that we OBEY. just do it. Heavenly father is just WAITING to pour out blessings, but it all depends on our exact obedience to the commandments, and the covenants that we made--both baptismal and in the temple

Obedience takes sacrifice. And that is hard. But jesus Christ sacrificed everything for us. What better way to become Christ-like, than to do as he did, and sacrifice our all? afterall, everything that we have, and that we are, is not truly ours. It all came from god.

>He gave us bodies of flesh and bone. He gave us each spiritual gifts. He gave us talents. Good jobs. Knowledge. The holy Ghost. So many resources and all manner of things.

Think of specific things that he has blessed YOU with.

did you think of something?

Now, relate this to the parable of the talents. There was a man/woman that was given one talent... and they really treasured this talent, so much that they did not want to lose it.. so they buried it.

Others were given a couple, and they used those talents to attain even more!

But the one who buried their talent in the end, still had just one talent.

Are you going to hide your gifts from god? Are you going to keep these means to yourself? I hope that you answered both these questions with a loud and proud NO!

Let's say that you have a really nice and expensive camera that you use to capture beautiful things. It brings you and those whom you share your photos with much joy! You have a friend who want's to be a photographer, and, because you love them dearly, you teach them your best tips and tricks, and even give them your nicest camera!

What if this friend never used the camera? just kept it in a box. or maybe they took a few great pictures, but kept them in an album for only their eyes to see... how would that make you feel?

It would feel like a slap in the face to me.

I think that maybe is how heavenly father feels when he gives us talents and blessings and special gifts, that we don't develop or share.

Heavenly Father has given each of us specific things, not for our own benefit necessarily.. but to uplift and benefit our fellow men!

We are all in debt to Jesus Christ and our heavenly father. We never will be able to pay them back in full.. but I know this for certain; That if we use every effort, and show gratitude to him by sharing what he have, what we know, and what we believe, that after all we can do, that will be enough. Heavenly Father is pleased with our best efforts. But we've got to try.

I am really struggling with this whole concept still. It's hard. Some days I honestly would rather take a nap than go out tracting. I would rather sit in the back of the room than give my insight. But the thing is I'm working on it! I'm trying to be better! And it already is making a difference in my life!

So I guess my challenge this week for all of you is to search out your own meaning of Consecration. Then write down a list of things that you know heavenly father has blessed YOU with specifically! Don't be shy about it, the lord has blessed everyone immensely. Then, choose a couple that you can develop further, and find ways that you can share those gifts and talents to benefit others!:)

I love you all so much and I appreciate all the thoughts and prayers! :)

Love, Sister Lewis

 

 

 

God Loves Sister Missionaries! :)

Hello!

wow!

well, I have SO MUCH to say but unfortuneately, not a lot of time to say it.... Because we (along with the elders) helped a new family thats moving in, move all their stuff into a storage unit. that took like 3 hours... soo... that took up all of our P-day! but it was great though! And they fed us Chipotle after so, I cant really complain;)

I'll just go day by day.

Wednesday:

Woke up at 1 am. the worst. Literally the longest day of my life. When we got to D.C. president and sister Riggs took all 22 of us new missionaries to see the Lincoln Memorial. It was pretty cool! I've always wanted to go to D.C. and see all the sights and it seemed so unreal! but it was SOOOOO hot and SOOOO humid. yuck.

Thursday:

I met my new companion and trainer, Sister Osmond!! [and yes, she is related to THE donny osmond!] nwe serve in Centreville.

I absolutely ADORE sister osmond. she is amazing. We get along so well and like a lot of the same things. She's bright, and peppy, and has such a strong testimony. Plus shes a great trainer!

The first thing we did after transfer meeting was over was go out Tracting. uhhh yikes! I was SO nervous. I did not want to do it. But we went anyway. Had a lot of doors shut in our faces. Uninterested people. people who had already found Jesus. It was hard.

But then, the last door we Knocked on we found Dee.

Dee is awesome. he and his girlfriend Ana let us into their apartment and just talked with us for a bit. Turns out, demetrius used to attend the LDS church in D.C. in high school with his step dad. He said the gospel is what got him through high school. We asked if he had been baptized. he said no, but that at a time he had wanted to! We asked him if he still had that desire and he was like "heck yeah! ill do it if thats what the lord wants from me" both sister osmond and I were like GREAT:D

So we taught a little bit about the Restoration, and gave him a pamphlet. Then we invited them to church with us on sunday. Ana works, but demetrius was ALL for it. [[hip-hip hooray!]]

Later that night, when we were getting ready for bed, we got a knock at our door. IT was the elders that serve in the Centreville 2nd ward with us. now, Sis. Osmond had warned me earlier that they were going to try and pull a prank on me.... Elder McDonald had been transfered to the US from his mission in the Ukraine. He speaks russian. They were going to have him just speak russian to me. Well we decided that wasn't going to happen. I told her that I know some Sign language. We decided that we would pretend I was deaf. The elders came to our door... and i just started to sign. Sis. Osmond explained that I couldn't hear, but that I was pretty good at reading lips.         You shouldve seen the looks on those Elders faces!! hahahahah PRICELESS!

Turns out though that elder payne knew some sign as well and we communicated a little bit. It was sweet of him to try:) haha we said goodnight, and S. Osmond and I just died. too too good. They really believed that I was deaf!

Then on saturday morning we saw then in the gym.. and we decided they should know that I'm not actually deaf. I walked up to elder payne and he immediately began to sign to me, "good morning! ghow are you!" hahah I signed back to him "I'm good. I'm also not deaf" he was like huh? his vocab is very slim... so I signed and spoke, "I said by the way, I'm not actually deaf."

ohhh boy. his face went bright red! TOO TOO GREAT!:) hahaha everyone got a kick out of that!;)

You can't prank a Greenie if the Greenie pranks you first!

Friday and saturday:

everything is a blur from here. lots of tracting. meeting people in the ward. visiting potentials. Lots of planning and studying.

I gave away my first Book of Mormon! We were driving on the road, and there was a truck by us, with two guys in the back and we waved. then, we were at a light and i was like "I'm gonna give them a book of mormon!" They were stopped in front of us, so I rolled down the window and stuck my head out and was like, "We are missionaries of the church of jesus christ of latter-day saints! Would you like a book of mormon?"

One of the guys told the driver to hold on, got out of the truck, and took the book willingly! it was AWESOME!:) haha

On saturday sis. osmond and I helped at a wedding reception for a members daughter. We just sat at the sign in table and talked to everyone. it was pretty neat! A great idea to get the word out there!;) It was a beautiful reception.

Sunday:

Saturday morning, a brother in the ward had called us and asked us if we could teach his Gospel Principles class for him because they wree out of town, we agreed. So we taught the lesson on Service, and it went really well! It feels awesome to teach! We aslo had the priviledge of teaching the Beehives about receiving the gift of the Holy ghost. those girls were ROWDY. but the lesson went well.:) So i just got here and already had to teach two lessons, also, since i'm new, everybody asks me to pray. Sooo... My future husband is going to be Stunning. Just saying. I've said more prayers on the mission than probably in my whole life! Its great! I love prayer!

Remember Dee and how we invited him to church?

well.. our church is at 9. 9 rolled around and we dont see him and he didn't respond to our text.. i was anxious. I really wanted him to come. About 9:15 he texted us and asked what time it was at, i said 9.. he was like, "Shoot! I'll be there asap!"

and he CAME!:)

he actually listened to the speakers too. Then in gospel principles, he participated by giving insights and reading quotes. It was awesome. then the elders took him to Priesthood

we met up with him after church to ask him what he thought and how he was feeling. HE said he was SO gratefule he came. He has been going through a ROUGH time lately, and he knows he needed to find his way back to god, to turn his life around. Attending church was what he needed. We brought up the baptism thing again, and extended an invite. We told him that we think he could be ready by September 20th, if he wanted... he thought about it. then..

HE ACCEPTED! what?! We found him on Thursday, he came to church on sunday, and he is already on date for Baptism!:)

WE are meeting with him every week on tuesday to teach him and help prepare him for baptism:) Sister Osmond and I just about died. We are both so overwhelmed with gratitude. I know that Heavenly Father has been preparing demetrius for this. He started preparing him when he was in high school. And we are the ones who will help him come unto christ! Its truly a miracle and I feel so blessed to have witnessed God's greatness and glory first-hand. :)

We have had a lot of other sweet experiences too, but unfortunately I dont have time to write them:(

But i will say this, I love street contacting. It's the greatest. Sis. Osmond and I have a lot of success with it too!

One morning for companionship study, we practiced teaching the restoration simply. having just a sentence or two for each point. then low and behold, we contact people in the streets later that day who needed to hear that EXACT message! The lord is aware of every people, and he is in the details of our lives. :) its just amazing!

My challenge to you all this week is to memorize Joseph smiths first vision, and to practice teaching it to eachother! I promise that if you get this down, whenever you share it with someone, along with his story, the moment you say what he saw, in his own words, the spirit will follow you SO strongly. It's powerful. and it can change peoples hearts. I've watched it happen.

I love you so much and hope all is well!

I would LOVE to receive mail too! Because i don't have much time for emailing:( but write me!:)

Sister Carly Lewis

14203 Lotus Ln #625

Centreville VA, 20120

Have a great week!

Love,

Sister Lewis

Home Sweet Home

Hello! :)

So I made it to D.C. safely, and received my new companion/trainer, sister Osmond [yes, she is related to Donny Osmond. NBD.] I absolutely adore her. shes the best!

We are serving in the Centreville area in the Centreville 2nd ward, and I absolutely love it here! It's more of a suburbs kind of place.

after transfer meeting yesterday, we went and dropped my stuff off at our apartment, and then had dinner at a members house, the Humptons. They have been married for a year-ish and sister Humpton is actually a Convert of a year and a half ish! the food was DELICIOUS and they are so nice! and then after that, we went TRACTING. what. so intimidating. but it went well!:) I promise I will write more about it on p-day.

I love you all so very much and I'll email you on Mondays from now on:) I love this work so much. I'm excited to see what Heavenly Father has in store for me here:)

also. FYI, I have my address and would LOOOOOVVVEEE some letters!

Sister Carly Lewis

14203 Lotus Ln #625

Centreville, VA 20120

Love you all! have a wonderful weekend and enjoy your Sabbath! I challenge you to go to church this sunday with a specific question in mind, and really pay attention! Also, pay attention to the Sacrament prayers and their sacredness:)

love,

Sister Lewis xoxo

Week 2. Say whaaaaa?

Hello Family and Friends!

Mom&Dad-- Thank you for the candy and the shirt!:) I know you all sent me another package but I havent had time to run to the mailroom and pick it up yet. i will today though:)

Tell Emily Lewis thank you for her sweet letter! I've treasured it dearly:)

Jessie Beck has written me a couple of times and its been wonderful:) She always says just the right things that get me through the day!:) 

I see elder aaron love everywhere. Its the greatest:) haha 

Dad, I'm not sending this email to everyone this time, so feel free to forward it on:)

I have been at the MTC for over a week now! Like, I swear I just got here yesterday... but at the same time it feels like i have been here for 3 million years. When they told us that the weeks feel like days, and the days feel like weeks, they really weren't kidding. It's the truth. It doesn't make sense to you probably, but if you were in our shoes you would be saying "amen" because it's truth. 

The days are SO long.

>>we wake up at 5:45 (schedule says not til 6:30, but lets be real. I cant shower, and get dressed, and do my hair, and gather my things, and have a morning devotional with the Lord in 30 minutes). If you want the Holy Ghost to dwell with you throughout the day, don't start it out in a hurry feeling rushed!

>>Breakfast is at 7:10. We sit together as a District and it's done amazing things for us! My district is my Family and I love them:) the food here is pretty great! however, I have a problem that even though I eat SO MUCH FOOD, i'm still starving like 30 minutes later. Like what. where did this even come from. Who knows. All I know is I usually count down the hours til I can eat again :) haha

>>Class starts at 7:40. we have to walk up 5 flights of stairs to get there. I've done it probably 100 times and i am still out of breath by the time I get to the top!

>>At 10:40 we are given 1&1/2 hours of personal study time. This is my absolute FAVORITE time of the day. It's a time for me to really listen to the spirit, and have him be my teacher. I learn So much, and am growing so much closer to my heavenly father. sometimes we do an hour of personal study, then get together for companion study for the last half hour, so we can really plan and study together for our Investigators, and try to listen to the spirit so we can meet their needs.

>>Next, we have Gym time. The big gym is under construction, soooo we can either use the weight room and elipticals, or go out to the field in front of the temple, or exercise in our own rooms... This week the sisters and I decided we would go out to the Field with the elders in our district/zone. We played frisbee with them and it was SOOO fun!:) it was a great way to truly learn everyone's names and it just was a good time to bond! Like I said, i love my district. These are people that I honestly never want to lose contact with!

>>Lunch starts at 12:10. once again. love this time. i love food.

>>something else happens next... Oh! It's more personal and comp study. because honestly, its the most important time!

>>More Class at 2:15. so that's another trip up 5 flights of stairs. Seriously, my legs are going to look SO GREAT by the time i leave the MTC!;) we walk up and down those stairs 300 times every day I think. okay not that many. but you get the picture. 

>>Dinner is at 5:15

>>Daily planning at 6

>>More class time, but this is Doctrinal Study, where we really get to know the doctrine.

>>zone training at 7:00

>>Then at 8:45 we teach investigators. It's kind of scary, but it's a good time

>>Return home at 9:30 and get ready for bed and the next day.

>>Last comes the best time of the day. better than personal study. from 10:15-10:30 is quiet time. It is the time for us to have a personal devotional with our Heavenly Father.  I love to spend this time kneeling in prayer, just talking to my Heavenly Father. It doesn't matter how long the day has been, or how hard it has been, or how sad I was, when I kneel in prayer sincerely, and speak openly and  honestly with my Father, I know that he listens. And he comforts me. Every Time. the key though, is HONESTY. The more open you are with the Lord, the easier it is for him to help you, and the more you learn about yourself as a child of God. Try it. Be open and honest. Speak your mind. Even if the things on your mind aren't that happy, and you're angry, I promise that if you start by being honest, your heart will be softened and the anger or guilt or sadness will just fade away, as you feel God wrap his loving arms around you.

Now, I'm going to be honest with you... around... okay i don't know what day it was because they all blend together and seem the same.. but ONE of the days this week, I was feeling really down. I was sitting in class and I was frustrated. I was frustrated with my companion, I was frustrated with my teacher, I was frustrated with the immature high school boys in my district, and I was frustrated with myself. It seemed that I had hit a brick wall in learning. I couldn't learn any thing else. I was trying to teach with the spirit and ask inspired questions, but it's a hard thing to do when you are actually teaching another missionary or a teacher who is just pretending to be an investigator. Not impossible, but hard. I felt very inadequate on this particular day. While my comp was in a doctor visit, i just sat in the waiting room and began to pray to Heavenly Father and tell him how I was feeling. I was crying. I felt pathetic. nobody likes a cry baby. But i was tired. When I was done, I immediately got the feeling that I should ask for a priesthood blessing... so when i returned to the classroom where my district was having personal study, i asked for a blessing. 

They asked me who I would like to give it.

I thought about it for a while.... prayed about it. I eventually decided to ask Elder Bagley if he would give me a blessing. {{{Now some information on E. Bagley. He is VERY shy. He's from some small town that nobody's heard of near Richfield, and he's related to like half the people there. Very much a simple country boy. A sweet heart. He has a little bit of a learning disorder. Things don't come as quickly to him, and he often has a hard time conveying a message. He's been just as frustrated as I have been with the whole letting the spirit be the teacher and listening to the spirit, who will tell us what to say. Anyway, he's really kind and actually pretty funny.}}

E. Bagley accepted gladly and all the Elders in the room circled around me and placed their hands on my head. They stood there in silence for probably a good 2 minutes..just waiting for E. Bagley to begin speaking. i was a little nervous and almost wanted to be like "hey you don't have to do this if you don't want to!" but instead, I began to pray in my mind to Heavenly Father for E. Bagley. 

The second that he spoke my full name, I felt the spirit SO strongly. His blessing was short, and simple, and to the point, but it was so powerful. He had no idea what i was struggling with, but he was able to listen to the spirit and be guided by it.

Afterward, he thanked me for the opportunity. It was his first blessing ever. 

Now, E. Bagley has broken out of his shell quite a lot. He's not as shy anymore, and he speaks up in class. Whenever he and his comp teach a practice lesson in class, he makes sure he's the one that starts it out. 

Heavenly Father is truly in the details of our lives. I needed a blessing. I needed to be reminded of his love for me, and that I have strength to make it through. E. Bagley needed to exercise faith in himself and realize that he can speak by the spirit. 

The Priesthood is a powerful thing. I feel so blessed and grateful to have it here on the earth again, and to be surrounded by worthy Priesthood holders, who are all so willing to exercise their power when needed. 

Now I want to share with you probably the most important thing that the MTC has taught me.

THE ATONEMENT. IT is seriously everything. It is the center of this gospel. The center of Gods plan. Without it, our journey would be pointless. We know that it is only through entering the waters of baptism that we can live with Heavenly Father again, but baptism is just the first step. we must also receive the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands, and then endure to the end, and continue to renew our covenants by partaking of the sacrament Each Week.

The Atonement is what changes us and helps us become like Jesus Christ. It doesn't just cleanse us from our sins, but it helps improve our very beings. Through the powers of the Atonement, we can obtain Christ-like attributes, and it is what helps the children of God truly endure to the end. We CANNOT return to live with Father without the atonement.

There truly was a purpose to the FALL. it brought to pass the NEED for a Savior to come to this world. There is wisdom in everything Heavenly Father does. 

Now that we know how important the Atonement is, and that it is essential for our salvation, and we know that the ONLY way to access the powers of the Atonement is through baptism... it makes sense why people say as missionaries, we want to baptize people. Our purpose is to INVITE others to come unto Christ, by HELPING them to receive the restored gospel through Faith in Jesus Christ and his Atonement, Repentance, BAPTISM, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and then enduring to the end. 

We want all of gods children to be baptized so they can be on the right path to salvation. But baptism isn't our end goal, and it shouldn't appear that way. the end goal is eternal life. Investigators must be baptized, and then endure to the end, and THAT is where member missionary work comes in! We as missionaries can't always be there for our investigators! You as members should fellowship them and help them endure to the end!

Heavenly Father is hastening the work in order to bring ALL of his Children home. 

Before we came to earth, we ALL knew we would be tried and tested, but we knew we had to go through this life to become like our Father. We knew the truth. We were promised we could return home and we all desired to. That's why we chose to come here. Now, think about all those people here that are not members of this church. All those souls that are lost, have not come unto Christ. They TOO had all that knowledge in the pre-earth life. They had to have SO much Faith in God and his plan, that they would one day be able to come to know the truth, whether in this life, or the spirit world. God is preparing them to hear the word, and they are waiting for the truth to find them.

                  Knowing this, I feel a GREAT responsibility to reach out to ALL of Gods children! To search out and teach those "other sheep". I know the truth, I know the gospel, and I know this is the ONLY way back to God. Because of this, I have a specific responsibility to share this truth with those who don't have it. Now, i'm not serving the Lord just because I feel responsible to, or because he asked me to. I am here, and I am searching for the lost sheep because i DESIRE to. I love my Heavenly Father. I know he loves All his children. I have felt the father's love for his children.... or in other words, Charity.

               I have had sacred spiritual experiences here where, through revelation, I have been able to look at an investigator, or a sister, or an Elder, through Heavenly Father's eyes. My eyes have been opened by the spirit towards God's Children. I have felt his love for individuals, and let me tell you, Heavenly Father loves his children IMMENSELY. This feeling is so powerful that I can't even explain it in words. I just shed tears of joy. I love god's children and I desire for them to come unto Christ and return home with us!

I wish I could better explain what it's like to feel this way.. but I can't. all I can do is challenge each and every one of you to feel of it yourself. Charity is a Christ-like attribute. It is a gift from God. Some people are already blessed with it, some have to seek after it. Every time i pray, i ask the Father to bless me with Charity. To help me truly love my companion the way he loves her, to see the investigators as who they can become. It's something that we must continually seek after. 

I know that if you pray in humility and you truly desire, you can ask Heavenly Father to have such an experience for yourself, and the Lord WILL bless you with charity. Pray to feel the Father's love for all his children. he will open your eyes and you WILL be changed. I testify of this, and I challenge each of you to truly pray with a desire and real intent. I think you'll find that it will be easier to wake up every day, and you will feel closer to the Lord

Okay. So I apologize my letter is SO long. and it feels Kinda like a sermon... i'm not trying to preach to you i promise! i'm just wanting to share with you what I've learned, experienced, and felt!

Also, I don't wanna end on such a serious note sooo... here's some fun stuff:

>>Sister Watson and I really work together well! I think we are united in purpose and that makes us better teachers. In fact, we are so in-sync that we have matched outfits (not on purpose) multiple times this week!;) hahaha

>>Brother Gleason, my morning teacher, looks JUST like Dave Franco, but blonde. If you don't know who that is, look him  up. hahaha

>>Brother Cena, my afternoon teacher, is ITALIAN. he's got the coolest accent. and he's a POWERFUL teacher. Also, apparently he's like crazy good at soccer. I guess if you're Italian, you're good at soccer. hahaha

>>Remember last week, when I told you about my companion sister Watson getting a blessing? well.... Let me tell you the WHOLE story:

                  Along with the 4 elders from our district, there was a member of the branch presidency there, to help show the elders what to do. his name is Brother Bliss. He looks like hes 100 years old. But he's a sweet heart. 

Well, E. Hogan started giving the blessing, and I stood in the circle across from him, holding up the guidelines for giving a blessing. He started blessing her, and at one point he paused, in order to listen to the spirit. Right at that second of silence, Brother Bliss FARTED. 

Like what?! I couldn't even believe that was a real thing...  i wasn't even quite sure if it really happened or not! I felt the Elders on either side of me tense up and all of us tried SO hard to not lose it. E. hogan did an amazing job of keeping it together, and he went on with the rest of the blessing. It was a powerful blessing. Afterwards, nobody talked about it, and brother bliss didn't even acknowledge that It happened. We returned home and didn't speak about it until two days later in class when Bro. Gleason asked us if we had any good stories of our MTC experience and all the elders BURST into laughter! 

It was funny to get everybody's point of view. We still can't even believe that it happened. It was a good time. And whenever things become too intense and we start to get discouraged as a District and as missionaries, we have something to laugh about and lighten the mood;)

hahaha

Well. My time is up, and i have to go get my laundry out of the machines. But I Love you all very much! I fly out to Washington D.C. This Wednesday at 6 am! woot woot. Time flies way fast. 

Love you all, and I pray for you daily! 

Love,

Sister Lewis

Week 1! Sort of..

Hey friends and family of Carly! This is one of her BFF's, Emily. Carly has asked me to keep her blog updated while she is in the field. I'll mostly just post her weekly letters and pictures. She had a wonderful farewell and setting apart - she was ready to head out! It's amazing to see her love and growth in just 3 days!! Enjoy!

Hello Family and Friends!!!!!!!

Alrighty. So I am on day 3 here at the MTC and I absolutely LOVE it here! There is something about this place... it's the spirit about here. You feel it SO strong. Also, everyone is so happy to be here! I love seeing all the cute missionaries everywhere. I will see like, two Elders walking together with their bags and ties and name tags and I get so excited and think, "OOOO! look! missionaries!" and then i think about it..... and remember that I am a missionary now too! haha :)

My Companion is Sister Watson, from Farmington UT. She will be going to DC south with me. She is... very much my total opposite. Sporty. Tough. Outdoorsy. Not musically-inclined. Small family. is going into the medical field. and is VERY quiet. Doesnt say much. BUT I still love her lots. She has a great smile that just lights up her whole face. And even though it's hard to get words out of her, when we do companion study, or we consult with our companions, she will pipe in with some very insightful things and I am learning a lot from her. 

We are in a room with two other sisters, Sister Hardmann(a cheerleader with missionary BF from Vernal. Going to DC SOUTH), and Sister Tomerlin (from mineral wells TX, she has the cutest little accent, and is a convert to the church of two years. going to Twin Falls ID).

I love these sisters very much, and I know that we were placed together for a reason. We have much to learn from each other. 

I especially have loved talking with Sister Tomerlin. She has such a strong testimony, and because she is a recent convert, she sees things in a different way. Also, knows what it's like to be on the investigating end, so she knows which things can be more confusing, or good ways to approach teaching.

Last night we met our Branch Presidency. President Bradford is a great man, very respectable, and he is teaching the Elders in my branch to be true gentlemen. If the elders are in a room before the sisters, they are to stand and button their top suitcoat button when we enter the room. It's like, the greatest thing in the WORLD. :) Us Sisters love it probably a little bit too much;) But honestly, I think all men should treat women with such respect. Chivalry is not dead my friends. Anyway, I'm the ONLY person who is musically inclined in my Zone soo.... I will always be playing the piano. which is fine by me!:)

AT the meeting last night, my companion Sister Watson was just bawling the whole meeting through. after about ten minutes i turned to her and asked her if she would like to leave and go to the restroom. She said yes, so we got up and left. She cried and cried and cried. I asked her what was wrong, and she explained that she was simply homesick. I did my best to comfort her, and just let her cry it out. This sweet lady in the restroom offered words of comfort. We went back to the meeting finished it out, and then I suggested she ask for a blessing. 

We had the wonderful opportunity to have our district leader, Elder Hoagan, and his companion, Elder Cavallaro anoint and bless Sister Watson, and our newly appointed Zone Leaders participated as well. It was such a BEAUTIFUL experience. I wish I could describe to you what I felt during that blessing. It was so neat to watch these Elders, boys just out of High School, give their first blessing. It really strengthened my testimony on the power of Priesthood and the Holy Ghost. It doesnt matter WHO gives a blessing, as long as he is worthy to hold the priesthood, and allows the spirit into your heart, its going to be direct words and inspiration from our loving Heavenly Father.

The first night we were here at the MTC we had an experience to meet 3 different investigators and learn about their life, and try our best to LOVE them, then speak up as the spirit directed. But the main focus was to LOVE the people. Elder Holland said: "If we listen with love, we will not need to wonder what to say. it will be given to us." As missionaries of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, we literally represent Jesus Christ. It is our responsibility to LOVE the people, and if we love them and see them the way their Heavenly Father sees them, not defined by their sins, or circumstances, or past, but as who they have the potential to be, then the spirit will direct us, and the HOLY GHOST will be the TEACHER and hopefully convert the individual. I'm grateful for the inspiration President Beeson had when he set me apart, to specifically bless me to view all of God's children as who they can become, the way Heavenly Father sees them, AS LONG as I am OBEDIENT.   <---------- that's another thing that it seems nobody can express enough, is how important obedience is. Exact Obedience. I'm trying my hardest to keep the rules. After all, they are inspired, and given for a reason. We have rules to live by, that leave room for the spirit to be present.

I've seen quite a few familiar faces! I've seen Elder Aaron Love a couple of times! HE's doing really well and is very happy:) I saw a few sisters from choir at snow college, and a Sister Jessica Lewis that i went to high school with. She lived in Florida this past year, and she gave me a HUGE hug and exclaimed,"Your cousin Sister Beck is SO AMAZING!! she was serving in my area and I absolutely LOVE her!" sooo shout out to Jessie;)

I think the best part of my week however was when I saw my dear friend, Sister Audrey Svedin from my choir at Snow! She's going to Nashville Tennessee and leaves on monday. I saw her and she embraced me in the biggest hug and i just felt the love of Christ through her. She is living on the same floor as me and is two doors down so I got to talk to her and get a picture with her last night. I love Sister Svedin. So much. :) I'm really grateful I got to see her.

I want you  all to know that I know of a surety that this gospel is the true and complete gospel of Jesus Christ. It is only by him that we can be saved and return to live with our Heavenly Father. I am so grateful and so excited to be a missionary. I love that i get to devote my whole self to this great work. The lord is truly hastening the work. Heavenly Father is sending out all these wonderful, marvelous young men and women to spread the word, to find the lost sheep, he is using us to bring his children HOME. We should also desire to help bring all of our brothers and sisters back to our home on high. I know that this is where I am supposed to be, and I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. Home, friends, schooling, and marriage can wait. Right now, my most important focus will be to Love all of Gods children and do desire their Salvation. My purpose as a missionary is to INVITE others to come unto Christ, by HELPING them receive the restored gospel through Faith in Jesus Christ and his Atonement, Repentance, Baptism, recieving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and Enduring to the End.

One question a lot of people as us is why we are here serving. Why did we decide to Serve the Lord. Well, her is my answer:

Because I LOVE THE LORD. 

That's all there is to it. No more explanation needed. 

I love you all So very much, and I've been praying for you. Thank you for the love and support in helping me get out here. Have a wonderful week!

Love, 

Sister Lewis

p.s. {Ya'll don't know how long I've waited to sign my letters "sister Lewis!" It feels so great:)

p.p.s { We aren't allowed to refer to one another as "guys". We have to call each other 'Elders' and 'Sisters'. I didn't even realize I said 'guys' so much. Literally the hardest habit to break. but Sister Tomerlin is from the south and she just says "Ya'll" so i've started saying Ya'll. solves everything;)

Sister Svedin and Sister Lewis

"Exercising" though I was the only one who actually exercised. You can tell by the sweat dripping from my forehead. 

Proud of my "dork dot"! ;) It feels so good to wear the tag - it makes it feel official.

Sister Tomerlin, Sister Hardmann, Sister Lewis, Sister Watson

Pray More.... Worry Less

I have a problem you guys. This problem is that I am really good at over-thinking things and I usually find a million things to worry about. {silly me} Now as my mission draws ever closer, I have felt quite overwhelmed at times and I just want to sit in solitude, minding my own business and not think about anything...... 

Well, I saw this quote the other day and it has been my anchor through this past week. 

Somehow, in all the mumble-jumble, I had forgotten to simply ask my father in heaven for help!!

Isn't it odd how one can forget something so important? I have always known the power of prayer. I have a strong testimony on the power of the atonement, and that whenever I'm in need, there's a Savior who knows exactly how I feel, and is just waiting for me to turn to him for help. All I have to do is ask, and The Lord will give me aid. I had made the mistake of focusing too much on myself, that I forgot all that!! 

There's one other quote that I really love:

"Have you prayed as much as you have talked about it?" 

This is always a good reminder to me as well to first, seek help from my loving Heavenly Father. :) 

Pray more. Worry less. 

Xoxo 

Carly

P.S.

{{ I have 3 days left until I enter the MTC. What. Is that even real? Probably not. }}