Week 51

hello everyone!

this was a great week in andong! although we didnt have brother lee
chan goo's baptism, it was still a great week. so in andong we dont
have a baptismal font in our church because we are just on the 5th
floor of a commercial building. in the past people who recieve baptism
got baptized in a river about 30 min away from the church. we went to
go check out the river and there was hardly any water and it was
really dirty so we had to postpone the baptism for next week. we
called brother lee and he seemed a little frustrated that we had to
postpone the baptism, which is good haha but something that i
continued to think about this week was the life and luxuries we have.
sometimes it seems like we dont have a lot of money for good food, or
we cant always do fun things on pday because theres not a ton of time,
but taking a step back and really looking at all the things we have.
this past week we met with an old couple in our branch at their house.
they are farmers and literally live on a farm haha they have cows,
chickens, crops, anything you can name they have it. and its so far
from the city if you look out, all you can see is green. just trees
and more countryside. there daughter was there and we all were able to
eat together. The reason why i thought about being so thankful for all
the things i have is because of her. She has had a really hard life it
seems like. She had some kind of tumor in her head and had it removed,
removing the whole front right part of her head leaving scars. it was
so deep i honestly dont know how she is still living. she had a
husband who took their son and left after the surgery happened,
leaving her with the old couple in our branch. but the thing was, she
was more cheerful than any of us were. this past week was a little bit
hard as far as meeting with people and having time to teach them. this
girl was so thankful for what she had, which was not a lot. her body
is always hurting and she cant do much, but she is still happy and
thankful. after seeing that, it seems like we have everything and
still find a way to somehow not be thankful. ahh... Im so thankful for
Jesus Christ and for the opportunity to repent and change everyday. Im
thankful to even know who he is and be able to follow him. How can we
not be thankful for that??
Thank you everyone for all you do! thanks for your prayers and
support! have a great week everyone! especially treat my little
brother Robby well before he leaves on his mission!! always be
thankful lil bro! love you!

-elder carter

Week 50

hello everybody!

so sorry my emails havent been that great lately but theres a lot
thats been going on here in andong! so our other investigator, the one
that has been meeting with us and preparing for his baptism on the
19th, brother Kim Jin Hoon, hasnt come to church and just recently
started ignoring our phone calls... i dont know whats going on, but we
are having a little trouble with him lately. His mom is very against
church and is holding him back a little. Hes like 35 years old but has
a slight mental problem so it might be a little harder for him to
recieve baptism. on the other hand our other investigator brother Lee
Chan Goo was able to meet with us this past week twice. He is really
excited for baptism and is preparing well. he doesnt say much but is
really working hard. we talked to him about the commandments and why
God gives us commandments for our benefit. Its really nice to see
someone so willing to accept and follow them. Brother Lees faith is
very strong and he just wants to do whats right. I love him! He gave
up smoking before and has some allergy to alchohol or something so I
know hes been prepared by God to recieve this great blessing before
the missionaries even met him. so by next pday i hope to be writing
all about our investigators entering the waters of baptism!
This past week we also had interviews with our new mission president,
president Barrow and his wife and 17 year old son Ben. His style seems
completely different from president Gilberts but at the same time,
just as hard working and faithful. Im looking forward to serving with
him! All mission presidents seem to have some of the same
characteristics, like a loving heart and humility. when i met with
president barrow i thought about president Phillip Stoker from our
stake and how hes pretty much that same exact "mission president" mold
haha so loving and humble. well thats all for this week! this upcoming
week will be a good one, i know this church is true and how much this
gospel can bless everyones lives! love you all, talk to you soon!

elder carter

Week 49

hey sorry no time today, 3 min and pday is over. this week was good our investigator is still getting ready for baptism on the 19th. im doing good and it sounds like you are doing good as well, sorry we were really busy with foreigner cards and visa stuff i had to do today! love you all