They Call Me "Sister Carter": Training Again… Yay

I might even miss my sister's cat Phoebe….

am going to be a DAD!
...Awkward, I know...
A sister missionary's follow up trainer is their dad. I get to be companions with a 6 week old little new born greenie named Sister Harper. I am such a proud father.
I am getting transferred to SANTA ROSA! Yaaaaay. I will be serving in the Rincon Valley Ward in the same stake that I started my mission in. I'm so excited.
I am so sad about leaving the people I've been teaching, this crazy town, the wonderful ward, the fact that I never got to go to the Medford Oregon temple, and probably never will now as a missionary, but I feel really good about the new change coming.

Just a few Pictures of the people I have come to love so much here in Northern California

Sister Buckner, some other missionaries and I donated blood this week. Some lucky person out there will get to walk around with nice clean Mormon Canadian blood. I almost passed out 3 times and made the nurse tell me as many jokes as she could to keep me from thinking about that fact that there was a piece of metal in my arm that was taking all my blood from me. Gross! I got to half consciously tell her all about what I do as a missionary and about the restoration. I couldn't stop talking because if I did I would think about the blood too much and get queasy. It was so hard to focus though so the nurse probably got all sorts of random jumbled information about who Mormons are. Then I started to pass out and they tipped my legs way up and my head way down. Passing out is NOT a comfortable experience. It feels awful. When I finally started to get over it, I looked over and Sister Buckner was laughing at me. I'm sure I was quite the show for everyone. Well I definitely won't be doing that again... Especially not as a missionary... We ended up wasting a ton of time because every time I tried to get up I would start to pass out again. I did get to take a sticker home that said, "I tried to donate blood."

We did some other service that was a little bit more productive. We went dog walking for an animal shelter. It was great because we got to contact the whole neighborhood as we did it, AND advertise adoptable dogs! 2 birds, 1 stone! So much win. Sister Buckner and I renamed them Mormonita and Josefina Smith (they were both females).

MIRACLE!!! We Taught Ernest again.

Oh how I love this man!!

When we asked him how his experience was at the doctors office he told us that before he went in there he said a really deep sincere prayer to God telling Him that Whatever happens he knows it is for the right reasons. Basically he said, "Thy will be done", but told God that if he had any say in the matter, he didn't feel ready to die and prayed for more time. When he met with his doctor they were able to discover that he has more time to live than they expected. he recognized that as a direct answer to his prayers. When we met with him he told us that he feels like God has preserved him for a specific purpose but isn't sure why. he didn't expect to have so much time and doesn't know what to do with himself. He is a wonderful man with SO much faith in Christ and has a very repentant heart. The spirit guided us to leave with him to read Mosiah18:7-11 and to invite him to focus on what the desires of his heart are. It reads:

I won't get to be there to find out how it goes, but the spirit was powerful in that lesson

7 And it came to pass after many days there were a goodly number gathered together at the place of Mormon, to hear the words of Alma. Yea, all were gathered together that believed on his word, to hear him. And he did teach them, and did preach unto them repentance, and redemption, and faith on the Lord.

8 And it came to pass that he said unto them: Behold, here are the waters of Mormon (for thus were they called) and now, as ye are desirous to come into the fold of God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light;

9 Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death, that ye may be redeemed of God, and be numbered with those of the first resurrection, that ye may have eternal life—

10 Now I say unto you, if this be the desire of your hearts, what have you against being baptized in the name of the Lord, as a witness before him that ye have entered into a covenant with him, that ye will serve him and keep his commandments, that he may pour out his Spirit more abundantly upon you?

11 And now when the people had heard these words, they clapped their hands for joy, and exclaimed: This is the desire of our hearts.

We taught so many awesome lessons this week. They were very guided by the spirit. I'm going to miss it here.

Love you all!
Sister Carter

This is where we go for our morning runs… The Redwoods are so beautiful!