3-24-15

Hey everybody!

So, Big news!  We got the news about transfers this week, and I`m going to Montevideo!!!!   I`m in the Zone La Costa, and my area is called El Pinar. I`m with Elder Cruz-from Colombia!  (I`m so excited to keep speaking spanish all day every day!)  And they called me as the District Leader!  Holy camolie, it`s going to be a lot of fun!  I heard that our house is right by the beach- That will make excercising every day super fun!  I know that that is where the Lord needs me, and I`m excited to serve!     It`ll be SUPER different from Lascano, Working in a little pueblo gave me the opportunity to work and teach VERY simply- But now I`m with the "Big Boys" and it`ll be fun seeing a different style of working! I`m not going to lie, it was super hard saying goodbye to the people in Lascano- I love them all so much! All the service that we`ve given all the things we`ve done to help our little branch- I love these people.

So, that`s what is happening this week- This last week we were able to start teaching a PREPARED family who are Si o Si getting Baptized! It made me so jealous of Elder Rosales- He`s going to baptize a Familia Completa! He`s going to do great things in Lascano! (He`s Staying.)

Any way, I`m excited for this new experience I`m going to have- I`m going to learn A LOT! But I`m excited for it, and I know that the Lord will make me equal to any task that he gives me! God lives, and Jesus Christ is the Head of this true church. this is His work, and we are along for the ride! I know that if we are faithful to the commandments and covenants we have made with Him, we will be blessed with ALL that He has. Why would we choose not to obey!?

I love you all!  Have a good week!

Elder Carroll

3-16-15 Pics

3-16-15

Hey guys, sorry it`s been so long!  This week was super good, LOTS of traveling! On monday, we had to go to Montevideo so that my companion could sign his residency papers! I got to wander around the city for a few hours- It`s a nice city! :)     Then on Tuesday, we went to Treinta y Tres and from Treinta y tres we left for Montevideo again with our zone! We went to the temple and got to do family names!  That was super cool- usually missionaries only get to do a session, but because we had names we got to do everything! Baptisms, confirmations, everything!  It was pretty dang sweet. The rest of the week, we really worked with the recent converts on our Less Actives- We are really focusing on them and their needs right now.

I realized this week that  I only have one more week in Lascano!   Holy cow, I`ve been there a quarter of my mission- this is where I grew up, learned spanish, grew hair on my chest, and prepared myself to face the world! :) hahaha I`m really going to miss these members, Uruguayos really are the best, I love them to death! But I`m excited to serve in other parts of Uruguay!  I`m hoping montevideo, hahaha we`ll see!

Well I love you all, I hope you have a great week!  Happy Brithday Ashlee! Hahaha and have fun serving in the islands, that`s so legit!

Love you guys!

Elder Carroll

3-9-15 Pics

3-9-15

Hola!!!

We`re going this Wednesday to the temple- I get to do everything for an ancestor of ours named Woods! (Except the sealing) But I`m so excited! I actually found a lot of our ancestors who needed temple work! But they were only partials- like one sealing or endowments. I sent those names to the temple for them to use.  BUT HOLY COW! I realized how legit and important temple work is- The work is hastening on the other side too, but they CAN`T do it without us. And the work for us on this side is hastening too, and we CAN`T do it without their help fighting off unseen spirits trying to hinder the work. But the crazy thing is, they can`t fight them off unless they are baptized and have their temple ordinances done. So, it`s a pretty big deal!   DO TEMPLE WORK!

 So I've decided that President Cook is the perfect Mission President for me! I look up to that guy so much! It makes think of what you said Dad, about looking up to your mission president- I want to be just like president cook!

And....Aw man!   When you told me about the Cubs not playing at Hohokam any more, I realized how much I miss baseball! Holy cow, how is the new field in Riverview? and the A`s are in Arizona now! We have to go to their games!  Yeah, Soccer is pretty legit, but there is nothing that`s beats a good American game like baseball!   There are a lot of teams in Uruguay- and I think it`s by department, but I`m not sure. The two BIG teams- the teams that everyone get in fights over- is Peñarol and Nacional. Everyone asks ¿Cual equipo hinchas tù? and if you tell them their team, they`ll like you and welcome you into their house- if not, they get pretty mad! hahaha some or more fanatic than others. I`ve decided to stay pretty nuetral, but I think I`m for Nacional! :)

How is Auditing going in the Stake, Dad? Man, I am really learning the function of the church. We have to help our branch presidency with tithing, and we have to send it to salt lake every week. The agency we sent it through lost 1000 pesos this past month! Hahah, so we could have been in a lot of trouble, but everything turned out ok- the stake president in 33 is going to come to lascano to fix it! But anyway, tithing is a pretty big deal---

And......Rosario got baptized! She is JUST like Marta- She is such a blessing to this branch- she`s going to bring a lot of people to the church!  Below are some pics---( And Elder Rosales baptized her! His first baptism! He was kind of nervous but he did so good!   I was so proud of my son! hahaha:)

Anyway, I love you all!   Thanks for everything you do for me- I can`t believe that I`ve almost been here 7 months- ¡Voy Volando!

I love you, have a good week!

Elder Carroll

2-22-15 Pics

What happens when your recent convert isn´t home, and not answering their phone!

 And, Rosario! She is a new investigator and getting baptized this Saturday with Blanca-Ana´s mom!

My new apron, making empenadas!!!! WOOHOO!!!!!

And service at Marianna´s and Anotony´s house! (We were putting down some gravel for their inflatable pool that santa claus brought!)

The baptism of ANA!!!!! POR FIN!!!!!!!! WHOOHOO!!!!!!!!

2-22-15

Hola Hola!

It`s been a pretty good week!  We are being super blessed with people who want to be baptized!  We potentially could baptize someone every week for the next month! We were able to baptize Blanca this past Saturday, and we confirmed Ana and Blance yesterday in church. They were excited, and I know they are able to feel the difference!   Rosario is SUPER ready to be baptized! She all of a sudden had to work in a little pueblo outside of Montevideo, and so we couldn`t baptize her this Saturday- But She thinks she`ll be back this saturday, and we are going to do everything to make it happen this saturday! After her, Sergio, Ana`s cousin, is ready to be baptized, he just needs ONE more attendence and we can do it!     Pray for him, he needs it!     
AND THEN, the biggest miracle this week!  About 3 months ago we baptized a kid named sebastian. We`ve been friends with his parents since I got here. They aren`t married, and have never been interested in the gospel, but we`ve always been super good friends!     They found out that they are expecting a baby, and all of a sudden they are thinking about god and religion- They are interested!!!!!!!!!!! It`s amazing what time, trials, and the spirit can do for us!!!!!!    I am so excited for them, the mom promised that in the 5 more weeks that I am here in Lascano, that they would get baptized!!!  I know that this is the Lord`s work!     
Man it is really interesting seeing the church on such a small level. The gospel really is simple.

I love you all, I KNOW that God lives, and love every single one of us. He knows us by name, and know all of our wants and needs. ALL we have to do is obey, and communicate with Him through prayer, and we will be happy.
Have a good week!

Elder Carroll

2-16-15

Hey guys!

This week was kind of interesting! We´ve been working with Elmer, he´s started to get back into some old habits, and hasn´t wanted to talk to us.  He´s been having some problems, and we finally were able to have a pretty good talk with him about why we´re here as missionaries, and how we can help him. He opened up, and he´s starting to climb back up- I love that guy so much, We´re really working with him!

Blanca and Ana started out the week really excited to be baptized, and then we started loosing contact with them! It seemed like they were hiding!   hahaha so we were freaking out! We had the baptism planned, the font filled, and the members AT the church to have the baptism on Saturday, but they didn´t show up!!!!!!  We searched and searched and called, but we could find anything out!  So, we were able to have a noche de hogar instead, that was good!   Then, on sunday, after church, we went to their house to just talk it out. We were able to find out that Artigas and his wife are having issues, and they´ve been scared to talk to us about it. we had a good talk. 

So, we still had the font filled,    haha we called the branch president, and walked to the church and had a baptism!   WOO HOO!!!!! Blanca was pretty sick, and couldn´t yesterday, but promised that she would get baptized this Saturday with Rosario!

(By the way, Rosario is a stud, and is getting baptized this Saturday!)

We are seeing miracles here in Lascano!    The church is true, and it blesses lives!

I love you all!

Elder Carroll