Too much spaghetti,but it really is the BEST 2 YEARS (18 months)

Have I mentioned we get fed spaghetti a lot? 'Cause we do.
In my last area no one fed us spaghetti ever because everyone thought we ate it all the time! Well we didn't until this transfer. This transfer we have been fed spaghetti more times than I can count. When I get home I solemnly pledge not to feed the YSA missionaries spaghetti EVER! We normally get fed 1 of three things: Spaghetti, sandwiches, and breakfast food... But mostly spaghetti. I really am so grateful though to get fed, what an amazing blessing it is when members serve by feeding us! No matter what they serve we are so grateful - we really are.  Funds go fast when members don't feed you, and with finals week and spring break happening, our dinner calender sign up sheet was looking pretty sad. So I am definitely happy to eat even if it does mean the same thing over and over again. Although I don't think I can EVER look at another peanut butter sandwich again... We had no money left and that was all we could afford. I'm so glad the students are back now. Yay food!

We picked up an investigator who is LEGIT! He comes to everything! He drove 40 minutes on Saturday to come to a baptism. Last night he texted us asking, "So when is this General Conference I keep hearing about?" We are so excited for him to come listen to the Prophet and Apostles. I can hardly wait for General Conference this weekend! 

This morning I was quite teary as I thought about some of our other investigators. It feels like they are beginning to slip away. They are three roommates who we have been teaching for a few months. I think by far the hardest part of serving a mission is the heartbreak. When you come to truly love your investigators and desire all the blessings that God has to offer to them that you know they can have but don't because they refuse to do the things that you know will give them those blessings. It feels like your heart is literally breaking inside of you. For months we have prayed for them, we have planned for them, studied for them, seen miracles with them, and cried for them. Sometimes a persons agency is the most frustrating thing ever. I can only imagine what Heavenly Father thinks when he looks down at us some days. It must be so hard to know that if his children would just do the things that he has asked that there are promised blessings just waiting to be poured out upon us. Then, to watch his precious children turn away from the blessings must be painfully heart breaking. This week I got a glimpse of that. Agency is such a precious gift. You just can't make anyone do anything. But the feelings of sorrow when they don't is awful. This morning I was reading in Alma 31, as I read verses 24-35 I cried as I felt a glimpse of the sorrow that Alma felt.

Though there are hard times as a missionary I am so grateful for those experiences. Serving God's children is the most rewarding endeavor. I was writing a friend last week and talking about how your mission can be the best 2 years (or 18 months for girls) of your life when you learn to put yourself away completely, and serve God's children. I remember at the beginning of my mission when I kept waiting for it to be "the best 2 years of my life" as they say. I kept waiting for what I could get from the mission. There were a number of empty days because of it. As soon as I learned that it wasn't about what I could get out of the mission but instead, what I could give to the mission, my days began to be full of joy and blessings. To all you missionaries out there preparing to serve, just give your all to the Lord: Everything. The sooner you do, the sooner the blessings.
I LOVE being a missionary!

Moment of the week:

So, as I said, we had zero dollars on our mission cards this week, and lucky for us this week a sweet member fed us salad for dinner. It was really tasty and wonderful, but our bellies were so tired of being hungry all week that we were having a challenge feeling satisfied and full. So after dinner we got in the car and both Sister Whimpey and I looked at each other and asked "Burgers?"

"Burgers!!" We screamed! 

YAY BURGERS!

We rummaged through the car searching for any spare change we could possibly manage to find, and found ourselves a grand total of 6 dollars. Then we drove ourselves to Jack-In-The-Box, and raided the dollar menu! Good times.

Love you!
Sister Carter