More than a Spanish ward (December 20)

Dear Family,

This week was busy!! We doubled the number of lessons we taught next week and met with many wonderful people. The work here is amazing and this ward is the best I have ever seen. We had more offers for Joint Teaches than we had appointments! What a blessing. The field is white and not just with Investigators! It has snowed every day for the past few weeks and there is just mounds of snow everywhere. I found out that my boots are actually NOT waterproof and trying to find solutions. Now both of my companions have Frostbite and I am thanking my Heavenly Father for my good circulation. It is really, really cold outside, but we are so busy with appointments that we are most often inside. Don't worry, Mom, I am staying warm and healthy.

I got TONS of wonderful presents from Sarah and Mom and April! My companion, Sister Quist got about 25 presents from her family and we bought a Weihnachtsbaum, so it really feels like a normal Christmas here. We had about 5 invitations for Christmas Eve (which here is really Christmas), Christmas and hopefully we will be attending a baptism on 26 Dezember 2010 of a fabulous investigator in Stuttgart whom I have heard much about from both Sister Quist and Sister Downs who found her together. That would make it really special. So far, everything is a go, but she has to stop smoking quick! (She's already had the baptismal interview. She used to smoke 9 packs a day--she is a miracle).

So ... I did not mention that we were actually supposed to have a baptism last Saturday, but it fell through. She is still going to get baptized though! Just a minor delay. We are meeting with her and always gazing in awe at her amazing faith that she has. It took a lot of courage, but she came to church after the baptism fell through. We are working with her and meeting three times a week and praying very hard for her. The current baptismal date is 15 Januar 2011, but we found out that is that day when the three Kings come to Jesus, so everyone will be out of town, so if the Lord agrees as well as Catharina, we will have the baptismal service a week earlier on 08 Januar 2011. She is from Mozambique and speaks Portugiesisch as her first language. She has 6 children and loves them all just like a Mom should. She is amazing and truly and example to me of faith, trust in the Lord and accepting His will.

We are hoping to set two or three other baptismal dates this week with Chrissi (13), daughter of Eliana (who was inactive for 20 years, but has come back). They are from Equador and we decided that we should just be called Hermanas instead of Sister. Sister Quist and I are half-jokingly hoping to get nametags with Hermana Quist and Hermana Carroll with the name of the church in German to wear on Sundays. :) The other might be Namina (8), daughter of Herr Yari from Iran. She is really bright and reads in a childrens version of the Book of Mormon. She was really sick this week, so we did not get to see her.

We had Zonenkonferenz on Friday and it was amazing. One principle that really struck me is one that President Condie taught. He explained that everything we learn about in the gospel is either a theory, a possibility, or a reality to us. For a missionary who has only ever had 5 or 6 lessons a week and to learn that we should have 15-20 a week might think that is only a theory. However, if we can but believe, or even have a desire to believe (Alma 32), then a principle becomes a possibility. When we have put it into action, it becomes a reality. I know that 15 lessons a week is possible because I have done it before. We have mission standards for our key indicators and while every area is a little different, some are reachable for all. We will probably have 15 lessons next week and we are not allowed to do any proselyting on Friday, Saturday or Sunday (we don't count appointment with members as lessons, though we do share a spiritual thought, they are always a way to gain the trust of the ward and seek referrals). I sang O Holy Night (the original, but translated to English) for the Musical Number. I got the music an hour before the conference began and discovered it went up to a high B, so that was fun. I found a lot more meaning in that song as I read and pondered the text, particularly the last part. Christ truly knows our needs and he knows how to help us. In any situation. I was going to share something I had written about the Atonement from my journal, but it looks like I am nearly out of time, so perhaps next week. I love you all and wish you the most Spiritual Christmas ever!!!

--
Sister Carla June Carroll

The transfer without moving (December 13)

Dear Family,

So, Wednesday Sister Hansen and I received a new companion, Sister Quist from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. She studied Biology and Religion at Wellesley College in Boston (yes, the same Wellesley College as in Mona Lisa Smile the movie). We got the not-so-surprising news that we would be in a dritt on Sunday morning right before church, but found out Sunday evening that we would not be in either München II or München IV any more, so we did not get the opportunity to say goodbye to the wards. Instead, we will be working in München I, the Spanish ward! Bummer none of us know Spanish. We are white-washing the area as both of the elders were transferred to different areas. We have a LOT to plan and to figure out.

Every morning, Sister Quist and I take Sister Hansen to the Office and pick her up at the Institutzentrum every evening (she goes there with a senior couple so she always has a companion). We already have a lot of appointments and there is a lot of work to be done. I am excited to learn some Spanish from the ward members, but hoping that we can communicate with all of our investigators (everyone speaks at least a little German and most speak a little English, too). Elder Yanez, one of the Elders serving in the ward before us, speaks Spanish (his mother is from Bolivia and he was raised in Germany), so a lot of the Spanish work was able to move forward. Our ward is fantastic and we already have a place to be Christmas Eve eating Tacos!

Monday and Tuesday I worked nonstop on the travel for the transfers. I was really tired afterwards and I hope I never have to do that again. Nearly ever companionship had a change and some areas were closed and some were white-washed, so there was a lot of arranging. It took me between 14-18 hours in two days.

Oh!! And I met Sister Borcherding's mother, father and one of her sisters Saturday night!! Her sister performed in the Vocalischor, which was absolutely amazing (it's like the JAE ... or english ... YSA? Mormon Tabernacle Choir here). There were really excited to meet me and I was really excited to meet them. For those who don't remember, Sister Borcherding was my trainer and she is still serving in Wettingen, Schweiz (Switzerland).

We already have a lot of great investigators and less actives with whom we are working with. We are excited to see the progress.

--
Sister Carla June Carroll

December 4

FAMILY!

Wow. This week was amazing. Primarily because we attended the Zone Leader Conference held yesterday for all the Zone Leaders in the Mission. Sister Hansen and I attended to take minutes as the secretaries. The Spirit was really powerful and I gained a firmer testimony that this mission is being led by the power of God. We also found out that Richard G. Hinckley, son of Gordon B. Hinckley, will visit in March for another Mission Tour! We talked a lot about what Elder Texiera had taught in Mission Tour. In the three areas he visited, each was pretty different. Together, we "prophesied" of what the mission could become in specific aspects and then talked about how we would make that happen. The Spirit was just so strong. Testimonies were given at the end and it was just so evident that this work is the work of the Lord. God is preparing us for the Second Coming through missionary work. He created the organization of the Priesthood to make it all possible. There is true power there.

This week I also put the final touches on the new mission logo (the idea wasn't mine, but I drew it) and sent it off to England to make it professionally pretty. Transfers will be next week and President Condie has been a little busy, so we have not found out who is going where so we can plan the travel. This week may be insane.

My companion is hanging in there though she officially cannot walk anymore. She started using crutches on Thursday. We will find out more on Monday. The doctor stopped injections on Monday. We are trying not to freeze in our apartment since we only have one working heater and our landlord insists we keep the windows open during the day to prevent black mold (I'm pretty sure it is there anyways). Oh, and our shower broke last week ... so it's been an adventure. I promise I am being obedient and showering daily as the Missionary Handbook says, even when it's really cold! SACRIFICE BRINGS FORTH THE BLESSINGS OF HEAVEN!

I had the opportunity to talk with Elder Simon who is still serving in Wien. He told me Sr. Bräuer is still active and Sr. Urban's baptism was amazing. I was so blessed to work with them. This work is so clearly the work of the Lord and it is such a privilege to see it progress. I must say I have no idea what next week will bring, but I know the Lord loves his children and will always provide. This gospel is true!!

--
Sister Carla June Carroll

November 27

Dear family,

First off, I have to explain that I am typing on an English keyboard, and it's really throwing me off. This week was amazing involving Mission Tour on Thursday with Elder Texiera from Portugal. Our mission used to be well known for obedience and seeing miracles because of it, but since the missions combined, it has been a really big struggle. Thus, the main topic of Mission Tour was Obedience. That is absolutely the first step of anything and the first principle we have to follow. Due to Mission Tour, I had the opportunity to do another Austausch--this time with Sister Dietz. We met and became close in the MTC, as she was there for the last three weeks of my time at the MTC. I was really excited to go and contact all of our Emphalungen (Referrals) and everything, but I got really sick this week and we ended up staying in our apartment and studying together. It was still a really powerful experience, just not the one I expected.

With Mission Tour, everyone needed a way to get to either Wien, Munchen or Zurich. I took the task of ordering all the Train tickets for the 168 Missionaries. It went pretty well and I think everyone made it! The work I do in the office has been really different than the Missionary work I was doing before. I really feel privileged to work with the Senior couples, Elder and Sister Walters and Elder and Sister Gardner. A mission truly needs miracles to be run and these couples work that every day. I will be interested to see how things are different when I serve a senior couples mission.

We visited the Christkindelmarkt in Marienplatz and found a lot of neat little things. We did not buy anything, but will go back in a couple weeks and see. Lots of talent from all over the world crammed into the center of the city. It was amazing to see. Christmas is a huge tradition here--even more than in America. Advent started this week and it's been snowing, so everyone is getting excited. It will be certainly different to spend Christmas here. The gospel is true!

November 20

So ... I have a slightly better idea of what I do in the Office. We arrive, hang up our coats, say hello to Elder and Sister Walters, then to Elder and Sister Gardner. We check the email for the Office Sisters and get to work. The biggest project we have been working on is arranging the travel plans with trains for the 175 missionaries in our mission to attend Mission Tour in Wien, München or Zürich. It's been a really big task and it is almost done. Mission Tour is 24 November in Wien, 25 November in München and 26 November in Zürich. Our poor Mission President and his wife! They are always somewhere else. They care so, so much about each missionary in this mission. We sometimes stop for lunch and sometimes just loose track of time.

Sister Hansen is truly a soldier. She is in a lot of pain, but she wants to badly to stay in the mission. I want her to stay, too. She went to the doctor on Thursday and had some homeopathic anti-immflamitory stuff injected into her ankle yesterday. We will return three times a week. Her ankle is hurting more since the injection. Great! We are always very busy in the office and often making phone calls. It is nice to learn where everyone is serving and sometimes to even call them up to tell them a ticket number or something.

So, the Senior Couples we work with are awesome. Elder and Sister Walters deal with finances and Elder and Sister Gardner deal with Supplies and Supply orders from missionaries. We have staff meeting every monday morning with President and Sister Condie and the Assistants. I learned this week that we are the Secretaries--I thought the Elders were still doing that for some reason, but they aren't!

Funny thing happened this week. So ... our apartment is a little chilly and Sister Hansen asked me to come look at her feet on Wednesday. Turns out she got Frostbite again, but don't worry--we already told Sister Condie and we do all we can to stay warm at night. I love the socks I brought with me. When it was really hot outside, I didn't think I would need them, but I am so grateful, now! Sister Hansen is also more prone to Frostbite and got it the last time she was in München last year. I had never seen Frostbite before!

Well, I will close, but know that I know without a doubt that this is the true church. I love that the Lord sends out ignorant and unlearned missionaries to preach it. The Spirit will testify to all those prepared to recieve it and if they listen, their lives will be blessed. I know that Jesus Christ is my Redeemer. This is the sweetest message because it is the greatest gift that we can have eternal life because he suffered and rose again. His birth was a miracle and his life was an example. He is truly our light, our life and the way to Eternal Life. It's true.

--
Sister Carla June Carroll

November 13

Dear family,

Now I am in Munich serving primarily in the office as well as covering two wards. Sister Hansen and I function the same as secretaries and are often called the sister assistants. I was surprised with the great responsibility of the new area. Sister Hansen is from Provo, UT, is 5'5" and studied music, Bassoon being her primary instrument. She is absolutely fantastic and we get along really well. I feel like we have been companions for several weeks ... but it's only been two days! As President Condie told me yesterday when I asked what I am supposed to be doing, or what my purpose is in this area, he told me that we are the glue that holds the mission together. No pressure! I am really excited to serve and to help the mission. From the moment I arrived, we already had tasks to deal with, problems to solve and adventures to undertake. I am starting to understand a lot more of how an entire mission needs to function.

So, normally Sister Missionaries do not serve in the office, however, Sister Hansen has a little problem with her feet (understatement of the year), which has impacted her ability to walk. She returned to Provo last year, but was able to come back to the mission. She is clearly needed where she is and she is a blessing to all around her. We are working in the München II und IV wards as well, which I will experience tomorrow. München IV is an international ward, so the meetings will be in English. We have already taught Grace, a mother with three children, a little more about the Restoration. She is very open and excited to found out if the Book of Mormon is true.

München is beautiful and very different from Wien. It is certainly cleaner and does not feel quite like a big city (Wien is a LOT bigger than München, though). It was hard to leave my precious Wien, but I know the Lord has a need for me here with Sister Hansen in this area. Another thing that is different is that our Vorbereitungstag (Preparation Day) is on Saturday!! Surprise! This way we can be in the office when missionaries need things on Monday and we can plan for the week with President Condie. In Wien I knew the Bahn system and area really well and I forgot what it was like to not know exactly where I am and where I want to go and the quickest way to make that happen. Now, we just find the best way that involves the least amount of walking!

So, earlier this week we met with several people in Wien including Frau and Viktoria Varga, Sabrina, Sr. Henkel, and Sr. Urban. It is a very odd feeling to think that the work goes on when I am not there! Sister Covey, Sister Sjoberg and Sister Downs are great missionaries and I know they can handle the work in Wien, but everyone we taught was so precious to me! My responsibilities here are very different than they were last transfer and I look forward to the growth and understanding I will see in the time I have to be here. I know the Lord has a plan for all of His children and he loves them. He may work in mysterious ways, but he can do His work. That I know.

--
Sister Carla June Carroll

November 8th

Dear Family,

So ... we got a call from the assistants to the President yesterday while I was in the shower. Sister Downs told me when I came out that I was being transferred and I thought it was a pretty funny joke ... until I checked the phone and realized they really called! They could not tell Sister Downs where I would be serving, so I had to call back. I am going to .... MÜNCHEN! Actually, I'm not entirely sure what I will be doing next transfer as I will be serving in the Office with Sister Hansen, who has tendonitis, but does not want to go home again (she came back with my group and after a transfer serving in Bruck an der Mur went to serve in the Office). She is a fabulous missionary. Bruck an der Mur is just south of Wien and there were many weekends with events such that she and Sister Alder came up to Wien, so I was able to get to know her a little. Sister Downs will be in a dritt with Sister Covey (from Provo, UT) and Sister Sjoberg (from an Island north of Scottland). I was expecting to stay in Wien a lot longer, so I was really surprised. Oh, and no, it is not transfer time, but the new missionaries from Europe that speak German (almost always from Germany) arrive half-way through each transfer and our mission received one new sister, so things moved around. Crazy!!

Excerpt from letter;"Dear President Condie,

I admit the call from the Assistants was very unexpected yesterday morning. I am excited to be serving in München with Sister Hansen. I wanted to thank you for the opportunity I had to serve in Wien. We saw many miracles, especially the baptism of Christine Bräuer. This week we prayed and fasted that Brigitta Varga would fast and receive an answer to her prayers that Joseph Smith was a Prophet and that this is the church with the authority of Jesus Christ. We both feel that she will be baptized and she said this week that once she really knows this is true, she would want to be baptized. We taught her and Viktoria (and Herr Varga) about Fasting, specifically as a way to receive revelation. We have are continuing to teach Anne Urban the lessons and we learn from her each time we visit. She prays and reads the Book of Mormon every day and is truly willing to do whatever the Lord needs her to do. We found out this morning that we will continue with the baptismal date of 20 November unless we hear otherwise from Salt Lake City. She says "es ist mir egal" as the Temple in one year is truly the goal. We met with Sr. Bräuer once this week and she told us of some amazing experiences she has already had with the gift of the Holy Ghost. She is making great progress and is truly excited to be a member. She cried when I told her I was being transferred."

I felt a lot of love from several members of the ward when I told them I would be leaving for München this week. I was expecting to stay in Austria for a long time since I have a Visa until September 2011, but I am sure I will return. I will be near the mission office, so I can finally get the package Sarah sent me! Once that happens I can send pictures with each email. :) Missionaries love packages.

--
Sister Carla June Carroll

November 1

Dear family,

Today is a holiday (All Saints' Day), so everything is closed, but we were able to find a shop open so we could email our families. First, excerpt from letter to President Condie, "Schwester Bräuer was confirmed a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints yesterday and received the Holy Ghost. We have been working hard to increase our finding and have scheduled to go door to door for at least an hour every day. We have seen great improvement in our courage and ability to share the message of the Gospel. We met with Sr. Urban three times this week and are still waiting to find out if she needs to be baptized or not. Either way, the Temple is the ultimate goal anyways, and she appreciates us going through all the lessons with her. We find out last week in Relief Society that there are 125 less active sisters in our ward alone, so we planned to make contact with at least one new less active sister every week. We met with Frau and Viktoria Varga this week and reviewed the Wiederherstellung. We better understood that she understands that she wants to be baptized once she really knows that our message is true. We invited her to continue to pray and come to church. We made contact with Sr. Ochoko again (after 7 weeks) and met with her this week. She does not remember much about church or the gospel, but we will go through all the lessons again."

We have tried to improve our finding and start meeting with new people, so we have consistently started dooring (our mission does not have a schedule for dooring, just that it is a possibility for finding). We found a few people interested, one with whom we made an appointment. We are excited to start finding like crazy.

Sister Downs and I made some really good progress in making goals for this new transfer together and how we are going to leave this area better than we found it. We are both doing our best and hope that we can see more results from that. The field here is white, already to harvest.

Tomorrow is our 5 month mark on our mission and we are excited!

--
Sister Carla June Carroll

October 25

Dear family,

This week was epic. First, excerpt from letter to President Condie "This week was great with a beautiful capstone of Christine Bräuer's baptism. We visited Alex in the Hospital again, but he was not really aware of his surroundings at the time, but it really helped Sabrina to know that we went. We reviewed prayer, scripture study and started a review of the Plan of Salvation as well. As you know, her Baptismal Interview was also this week. In our last appointment with her (we had contact every day this week), she had a couple friends over, so a lot of our conversation turned to the Restoration. It was fantastic. Sr. Urban came to Generalkonferenz last week and asked to be baptized, so we met with her! She was a member of the church several years ago, but had her name removed from the records. She remembers everything and is already reading and praying every day. We met with her twice this week and will meet 3 times each week for four weeks (sound familiar?). We have been coordinating with our GML as to if she needs to be baptized or not. She is completely ready for either. It was fantastic to have someone show up to church and ask to be baptized, though! We met with the Vargas and taught das Wort der Weisheit. Frau Varga already does not drink tea or alcohol, but she does drink coffee. We challenged her to give it up for a week and test the Lord. We were really surprised when she was really excited about it. We hope to set a baptismal date this week. Frau Bräuer's baptism was so full of the Spirit. I don't remember what I said in my talk on Baptism, but I hope it was led by the Spirit and Sister Downs sang beautifully making all the women there cry. After the ordinance, Br. Zornig asked if she felt a warm feeling and said "Nicht warm, aber befreit!". [translation = not warm, but liberated!] Everything possible fell through right before the baptism (our Organist skipped out, the closing prayer was gone and the Baptizer was sick and injured), but the Lord provided a way! It was a miraculous baptism."

Oh, man. I cannot even described how stressful church was for a few moments until we found someone to baptize, someone who could play the organ (there is only an organ in the Baptismal room) and every other little part including someone to lead the music. I had prepared a talk on Baptism, but I honestly don't remember what came out, but I am pretty sure it was in German. The Spirit was so strong. She got baptized!!! YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tonight we are going to see Brahms and Beethoven performed by the Wiener Symphonie. Did I mention I am going to see Brahms and Beethoven performed in VIENNA? I am so excited. So much to do and no time to do it! Yikes!

We started an hour a day of contacting (usually dooring). In Vienna, you never need to find PEOPLE, but we decided to give ourselves a little more structure. With this, we have had a lot more ... interesting experiences and let's just say we have gotten better about getting to the point and moving on if people are not interested and setting up an appointment when they are. The Lord truly will lead us to those who are ready to recieve the message of the Restoration. Oh, and by the way, Sr. Urban will be baptized on 20 November 2010. Yes!

--
Sister Carla June Carroll

October 18

Dear Family,

Excerpt from letter to President Condie: "This week was fantastic with many, many member appointments that enabled us to gain trust with the members and receive several potential referrals. We ate a lot this week, but enjoyed every minute of it (except for one of the meals). We met with Assem, who had previously met with Elders and attends the International Ward. She is around our age and from Khajistan (or whatever the country is between Russia and China, but closer to Europe). She has no Christian background at all (her country was communist), but was very interested in our personal experiences and the hope offered from the gospel. Frau Bräuer is still on track for her baptism, but it will be on Sunday 24 Oktober 2010 and not Saturday because our GML preferred this. She accepted keeping the Sabbath Day Holy and to keep the laws of the land readily and is very excited to enter the waters of Baptism and make covenants with the Lord. We solidified the details of her baptism and I was touched when she asked me to speak on Baptism before the ordinance.

We had a fantastic lesson with Sabrina about the Plan of Salvation. She also does not have a Christian background (though she is from Vienna) and thought that the Plan repeated (reincarnation). She continued to use this drawing I made of the Plan and we helped her understand that it does not repeat, but does last for eternity. Once she put that together and we explained the Resurrection, a light when on and she got it. I realized that I have taken this perfect plan for granted. It has always been there and I did not need to struggle through confusing theories to try to figure it out."

We really had a LOT of eating appointments, which here means that the members are trusting us. One of our appointments was with Bruder Hones, who is blind (we brought another woman with us to make everything okay). We fried the Schnitzel and sliced the potatoes. Then, he sang to us with his microphone and his keyboard played the background music. The song was in English, but I did not know it. It was really fantastic. We also met with Sr. Henkel, who made us Pumpkin soup that I will remember for a LONG time due to it's deliciousness. Another appointment was with the Meissner family. There is a definite Spirit in their home and everyone is genuinely happy there. Sr. Meissner is a single mom with three teenagers and a 21-year old (Florence) and works about 3 jobs. She is a famous musician and works as a flight attendant to bring a more consistent income. I just love the Meissners. Phillip Meissner looks a lot like Kyle, but 13 years younger. :)

Oh, and I did enjoy the last session of General Conference and was able to learn about the Stupid Cow Story and the Vergleich of Satan and a fisherman. It was in German, so I did not get everything. Robert Degasperi, a guy in our ward, brought his friend Marion to church and she said she really enjoyed it and will think about if she wants to meet with us. Another member, Sr. Teply, had a friend who was a member 30 or so years ago and had asked her name to be taken from the records of the church. This friend said to us that she wants to be baptized again. That doesn't happen every day!

Transfer calls are Thursday. I am hoping I will stay in Vienna.
--
Sister Carla June Carroll

October 11

Dear family,

This week went better. We taught 11 lessons and worked really hard. We met with Frau Bräuer twice and talked about the covenant of Baptism and then Tithing and Fasting. I was surprised how well both lessons went. Her dog got really sick this weekend, so she was not able to come to church or Heide's baptism. Any extra prayers offered to ask for less disturbances would be appreciated ...

It was really nice to meet in our Ward again after Stake Conference then General Conference. We are starting to see that the Ward is starting to trust us and let us serve them. We are learning better how to serve our Ward and help them fan the flame of enthusiasm for Missionary work. Our ward is already amazing.

Yesterday was Heidemarie's baptism. Our Zone Leaders (Elders Adams and Simon) have been teaching her (Elder Paschen before he was transferred two weeks ago in mid-transfer transfers). Ever since I arrived, she has been attending church each week and was invited to be baptized, but needed more time. In Stake Conference, she felt that she wanted to be baptized on 10.10.10 :). The best part is that this is the date that Elders Adams and Paschen had planned for and prayed about two weeks before! Her baptism was so incredible no words can describe it. I felt "OH! NOW I get missionary work". It would not have meant as much had I not been giving my all to this work. Sister Downs and I sang a musical number. We had prepared Er sante sein Sohn (He sent his Son), but there is no piano in the baptismal room, only a small organ that is too small for the song. So, we sang Ich weiß daß mein Erlöser lebt (I Know that My Redeemer Lives) at the last second with no preparation. It went fabulous and we sang the song we had prepared (Sister Downs had written an alto part) for Heide after the baptism while everyone ate the food. We gained three appointments from singing yesterday ...

Another miracle was meeting with Frau Varga this week. We had been trying to call her for the last two weeks without reaching her and decided to do a vorbei ... or ... uh ... drop by last night. We ran into her (almost literally) and her daughter in the train station on the way to the Bus to her home. We met with her and made an appointment.

Oh, we also had Interviews this week (it was a long week!). Our interviews were 10 minutes long. Hopefully someday I will get to know my Mission President! It was great, though and in that short time I learned some important things and how to improve where I am. I am excited for another week of miracles and blessings and hard work!!

By the way, I can receive pictures as attachments in emails ... and want them. :) I cannot visit any other websites.

The Gospel is true!! Everyone can know it, too!
--
Sister Carla June Carroll

Dear Family,

So, General Conference was ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. We were able to watch one session in English (Sonntag vormittag = Sunday morning). We were excited to have several investigators there. As you know, there is an 8 hour time difference between Vienna and Salt Lake City, so we viewed the Relief Society Session (Frauenhilfsvereinigungversammlung ... a sweet word in German) at 4 pm and then Samstag vormittag at 18.00 Uhr ... erm 6pm. We had our Baptismal Candidtate, Frau Bräuer and her friend Nicole there. We watched the Samstag nachmittag on Sonntag at 14.00 or 2pm. We then watched Sonntag vormittage (live) at 18.00Uhr or 6pm. One out of three of the talks were translated by President Uchtdorf. One of our investigators went to Priesthood session, so I hope to hear a little more about this session from him. We will watch Sonntag nachmittag on 17.Oktober at 9.30Uhr (morning) for Sacrament meeting. So, they will pass the Sacrament and then we will watch Conference. It's actually fantastic because now we can tell our investigators that did not show that they have one more chance!

So, this week we had miracles. Surprise! We had a lesson with Sabrina, who has been investigating for a couple years and honestly would be baptised if she could use her legs and get to church (she was injured in an accident, but that is what helped her turn to God). Her friend and caretaker, Alex, suffered a very severe seizure and has been in the hospital since last week, so Sabrina has had friends over to help her. When we arrived, things were crazy and Sabrina was stressed and we wondered if we could even have a lesson. We met in another room and then towards the end, her friend, Tatyana needed my help, so (while staying within sight and sound), I went to help her while Sister Downs finished the lesson with Sabrina. Turns out Tatyana is very interested and will meet with us again!

Also, in our lesson with Frau Bräuer this week, as we were saying the opening prayer, we heard someone walk in. Once we said Amen, we found another friend in the room and Frau Bräuer said "Wir haben Bibelstudium. Möchest du mit uns studieren?" Or in other words "want to be a new investigator?". She naturally said "Ja!" and we proceeded with our fabulous lesson on the law of Chastity and the Temple! It actually went REALLY well. We also talked a lot about the Restoration to Nicole and had the opportuntity to hear Frau Bräuer's testimony as she told Nicole about the church. As we left the appointment, Sister Downs turned to me with a huge smile on her face and said, "Do you realize that we just taught the law of Chastisty and about the Temple in a first lesson?". We laughed and thanked God for how well it went.

Sorry to be redundant, but General Conference was spectuacular!! I loved the way I felt and the little I understood of Elder Holland's talk in the Samstag vormittag session. I really appreciated all that was said about Prophets! I picked up on many different things than normal as I was listening through the ears of a missionary. I LOVED the talk by Elder Oaks the best. President Packer laid down the law really well and President Eyring's talk really spoke to my soul (all Sonntag vormittag). The nurishment I recieved from the Sonntag vormittag session in English felt like all of General Conference. I cannot imagine how fantastic it was if ALL the talks were like that. I don't think I will be able to get a Conference Ensign for myself in English, so please send one ... :)

We have interviews with President Condie tomorrow. We are excited.

--
Sister Carla June Carroll

last Sunday she asked if there was any coffee there...

Things are going great here in the Vienna II area. We finally met with Igor, a 17-year old young man who is really receptive to the gospel. He was on vacation all summer, so we continued where the other sisters had left off. He is very intelligent and we are excited to meet with him again. We also met with Christine Bräuer and told her about the Word of Wisdom (last Sunday she asked if there was any coffee there ...). It went really well. We also met with Herr Alt, Frau and Victoria Varga (and Alex Haller), Frau Nierberger, Familie Kostic and Sabrina. We also had an Austausch (exchange) this weekend! We had Stake Conference on Saturday and Sunday, so the sisters near to Graz (in Brook an der Moor--I can't spell it) came up Friday night and I worked with Sister Lind for what turned into a couple days (It's okay, President approved everything). I learned a lot from teaching with Sister Lind and was excited to be her temporary companion for the third time. She came into the MTC 6 weeks after I did and came into the field at the same time. Stake Conference was really uplifting and was only a little frightening when President Condie asked all the missionaries to stand and recite Lehre und Bündnisse 4 from memory in the middle of the Saturday session. I was not expecting that.

So, I forgot to give more info about my companion, Sister Downs. She is from Peach Tree, Georgia (near to Atlanta). She studied music in Vienna a year and a half ago with BYU. She came into the MTC 02 June 2010, but since she had studied German in Austria and took one or two classes at BYU was fast tracked and left 6 weeks before me. She served in Munich, then Stuttgart, Germany and now in Vienna. She is REALLY funny and we laugh more than I think I ever have in my life. We both love Nutella a lot. She is the oldest of three children and is a Mezzo-Soprano and is a vocal performance major at BYU. Her favorite color is purple. Oh, and her first name is Carli.

She said yes!!!

This week was fantastic! We taught 11 lessons this week and are still working on getting that up to 15! Even more wonderful is that on our first full day together, we invited Christine Bräuer to be baptized on 23 Oktober 2010 and she said yes!!! We are praying that all goes well and that she will accept the Word of Wisdom and all the other commandments ...

Sister Borcherding left very early Wednesday morning to go to the other side of the mission in Zurich and I spent the day with one of our Senior Sisters, Sister Chun (from Hawaii). We were able to finally contact an investigator together and make an appointment for this week. Sister Downs came from the other side of the mission as well (but from Stuttgart) and thus arrived later in the afternoon. It is still weird for me to have a companion that is not Sister Borcherding, but Sister Downs is really great and desires to serve the Lord with all her heart, might mind and strength. She is truly amazing and willing to be humble and learning.

Sister Downs was in Vienna (or Wien in German) a year and a half ago as a BYU student studying music (vocal performance). As a result, Vienna holds a very special place in her heart and she really knows all the places we should see while we are here and how to do it inexpensively. Thus, our Vorbereitungstagen (Preparation Days) will be very exciting. We will go to the Opera house today and see some spectacular things downtown. I'm excited.

Next week is Pfahlkonferenz (Stake Conference) and the next week is GENERALKONFERENZ!!!!!!!! We are a little excited since we can tell people that there is a Prophet TODAY and he will be speaking to everyone in the WORLD in two weeks. Can you believe it? It is so exciting. I hope all is well at home and life is full of joy and satisfaction. I love hearing from family and friends each week through email and letters. Letters have become infinitely more valuable since I arrived in Österreich (Austria in German). I love you all!! The work is amazing and I can feel your prayers. They really make a difference.

--

Sister Carla June Carroll

She said yes!!!

This week was fantastic! We taught 11 lessons this week and are still working on getting that up to 15! Even more wonderful is that on our first full day together, we invited Christine Bräuer to be baptized on 23 Oktober 2010 and she said yes!!! We are praying that all goes well and that she will accept the Word of Wisdom and all the other commandments ...

Sister Borcherding left very early Wednesday morning to go to the other side of the mission in Zurich and I spent the day with one of our Senior Sisters, Sister Chun (from Hawaii). We were able to finally contact an investigator together and make an appointment for this week. Sister Downs came from the other side of the mission as well (but from Stuttgart) and thus arrived later in the afternoon. It is still weird for me to have a companion that is not Sister Borcherding, but Sister Downs is really great and desires to serve the Lord with all her heart, might mind and strength. She is truly amazing and willing to be humble and learning.

Sister Downs was in Vienna (or Wien in German) a year and a half ago as a BYU student studying music (vocal performance). As a result, Vienna holds a very special place in her heart and she really knows all the places we should see while we are here and how to do it inexpensively. Thus, our Vorbereitungstagen (Preparation Days) will be very exciting. We will go to the Opera house today and see some spectacular things downtown. I'm excited.

Next week is Pfahlkonferenz (Stake Conference) and the next week is GENERALKONFERENZ!!!!!!!! We are a little excited since we can tell people that there is a Prophet TODAY and he will be speaking to everyone in the WORLD in two weeks. Can you believe it? It is so exciting. I hope all is well at home and life is full of joy and satisfaction. I love hearing from family and friends each week through email and letters. Letters have become infinitely more valuable since I arrived in Österreich (Austria in German). I love you all!! The work is amazing and I can feel your prayers. They really make a difference.

--

Sister Carla June Carroll

Zone Conference Photo

Verseztung = transfer

First, excerpt from letter to president:

"School started last Monday and it is like a different area without moving apartments. We are working hard to get as many appointments as possible and the Lord is truly blessing us. Alex Haller (son of Brigitta Varga) came to Familieheimabend and enjoyed it. He will come again today and will definitely be at church next week. At the end of the lesson with the family, Alex prayed and even closed in the name of the Savior. It was so great! His mother and sister came to church and he WILL come to church next week!

Tuesday we met with a man who apparently fell in love with the sisters and was very rude to us. Sister Borcherding made it very clear that we only speak about the gospel and somehow we closed with a prayer and he left (we met in the Institutzentrum of course).

The Frauentag was good. I went on the Tod in Wien tour and if I am correct, as missionaries we are not allowed to approach people in Cemeteries. I tried to help the members get excited about the Pass-Along cards and see opportunities to use them, though. I think it was productive. Many other groups had great success with contacting."

Verseztung = transfer. We were shocked to get a call Thursday night to find out that Sister Borcherding will go to Wettingen, Sweiz (near Zurich) on Wednesday morning. I was pretty frigtened to be the "older one" in the area and my new companion came into the MTC the same day that I did. She came fluent, though, and I have worked with her a little before and know she is an excellent missionary. I am excited to work with her, but I am certainly sad to see Sister Borcherding go. I sure love her and look forward to visiting her in Germany and am praying we will get the opportunity to work together again.

Also, I got my Visa today! I am totally legal now. Sister Downs has served in Germany for two transfers (you do not need a Visa to live there), so I will get the opportunity to go through this again! What joy. It is a cool feeling to have a Visa in Austria, though. I love Wien so much. It is beautiful and perfect for missionary work. We really have all that we need here and our ward, Wien II, is great. We also have the Zone Leaders (Elders Adams and Paschen) in our ward, but we still have plenty to do! If you get a Pamphlet on Wiederherstellung, Der Erlösungsplan or Das Evangelium Jesu Christi, you will find two lovely pictures of our ward in the back. I love Wien!

Tscüss to all until the next week.

Sister Carla June Carroll

Life is good

Dear Family,

Life is good here in Vienna as a missionary. We met with the Familie Kostić, Christina Bräuer, Ivana and Brother Patrick, Frau Niernberger, Brigitta and Victoria Varga and Alexander Haller and many less actives and members. We LOVE being busy here! My companion turned 27 on Saturday and we celebrated. Our members are great and reached out to say happy birthday, too. Our elevator broke on Friday and we live on the 6th floor, so we have been getting double to exercise and surely are able to climb and not be weary ...

We got a new Ward Mission Leader this week! He is Peter Zornig and used to work in advertising (I think he is retired. He is 60). He is very bold and passionate and very funny. He met with us right after church and came with us to both of our appointments Sunday evening. He is passionate about Family History Work and never leaves a meeting or appointment without putting in his plug or giving his card for family history work. We love our Gemeinemissionsleiter!

We also had a nice visit from our sisters near Graz. They came for a Lesung with Doris Pikal, an author of excellent German poetry. In between her readings, a few missionaries performed piano and vocal pieces. It was great and we had one investigator, one potential investigator and one person who was invited on the street attend (and the Elders had some there, too). It was great! We got home late because of the concert and discovered our broken elevator. It was lots of fun!

We have a "Frauentag" this Saturday, where all the sisters who want to come in the Relief Society will tour Vienna and the Sister Missionaries will teach them how to give out pass-along cards. We are excited for this opportunity to teach "every member a missionary."

Besides having lots of fun, we are seeing lots of joy that comes from serving the Lord. I know that this is His restored gospel and that missionary work is the most important work that can take place on the face of the earth today. I know that our Heavenly Father loves all of His children and really wants them to return to Him. We have a latter-day prophet on the earth today, who holds the authority from Jesus Christ to receive revelation for the entire world. Joseph Smith truly saw God the Father and His son, Jesus Christ and he truly translated the Book of Mormon by the power of God. This book is physical proof that we can fall back on in every concern. I know this gospel is true. It is true in every nation and in every tongue.

--
Sister Carla June Carroll

Zone Conference

Dear family,

Excerpt from my letter to President Condie: "We are still doing well and excited to apply all that we learned in Zone Conference and the Sisters' Conference into our teaching and finding. We met with Susanne this week, who is the daughter of a woman in the ward. She was a lot more interested than we were expecting based upon our information from others and we hope that she can become an investigator. She prayed at the end of the lesson and her step-father (also in the ward) told us that was the first time ever. We were so happy.

Frau Varga prayed at the end of the lesson! She paused for nearly two minutes during the prayer and said "I don't really know what to say now..." but we just waited and she continued. She has readily accepted everything we taught and we invited her to really know for herself that what we have taught is true. She told us at the end that Alex (her son who gave us the referral) was really sad he could not be there since he had to work."

So, this week I went to Munich. It was so beautiful and wonderful. We have 24 sisters in our mission (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) including two senior sisters who are also in Wien. It was wonderful to see my former companions Sisters McGuire and Anderson and to hear of their areas and experiences. It was even better to learn all that we learned. We had learning from 9 am to 9 pm for the whole time we were there. I came with many questions and was able to have many answered.

We learned more about our Einführungslektion (introduction lesson) given to us by the area presidency. This is the first lesson we teach to establish prayer in each lesson, an overview of what we teach (in 4 minutes), writing down the investigators "questions of the soul", meeting 3 times a week for 4 weeks for 30 minutes each, and invite them to be baptized. I learned this from President Condie the first day I arrived, but it was great to hear it explained again and testified of. At Zone Conference, several Elders who were initially skeptical of the Einführungslektion and simply "proved the Lord" in applying it, powerfully testified of its effect. I can see already the difference when we do everything in our first visit we are told to do and when we don't. The Lord truly sets out His way to do things through Preach My Gospel (the Einführungslektion really comes from ch. 10).

The big thing I learned from this Sisters' Conference is that I need to take ONE thing at a time and have a vision of the missionary I want to become. I am aware this is my first transfer and I have a lot to improve, so I know the Lord will guide me as I review what I learned often and make every day better than the one before.

We also had Zone Conference. The timing of my arrival is perfect as everything is changing. :) As is happening in every mission in the world, Zone Conferences and interviews will now be quarterly (every 3 months) instead of every transfer. Because I sung in the choir for the Mission President Training, we were given the privilege to watch President Monson speak to these new Mission Presidents, where I heard the Prophet tell of these changes. That gave me a nice perspective to all of this. Oh, Sister Borcherding, Elder Gneiting (from Colorado, Parker ... or Englewood), Elder Ray and I sang in Zone Conference "I'll Go Where You Want Me to Go". I kind of made up the arrangement and had an expert pianist (Sister Hansen) do an unwritten accompaniment. It was good, but I did not get it recorded. We also got about 75 new copies of the Book of Mormon (we only had one left in German and we often need other languages). That was fun to take back to our apartment. :)

I am excited to celebrate my companion's birthday on Saturday (and Monday, because Saturday is quite busy). The sisters from Germany are almost always older because if they stop their schooling at 21, they have to start all over. We are excited and will make cookie dough ice cream to celebrate.

--

Sister Carla June Carroll

The Lord truly blesses his missionaries

Dear Family

Excerpt from my letter to President: "The work is steady and strong here in Wien and we are working hard. We had 10 appointments this week as well as several eating appointments, but we are exercising every morning to make up for that. Our miracle of last week, the Familie Varga (Briggita, Alex and Victoria) is still interested and golden. They were not able to attend church this week due to visitors, but we look forward to seeing them there next week. The Familie Kostić came to church (The father, Sondra, Alexandra, Sanja and Sanni) and we showed them the baptismal font afterwards. They understood and the father started to ask many questions. We are glad they are thinking more about what they have been taught. We met a new Wieniger Aktive, who was baptized 15 or 20 years ago and stopped attending church shortly after. She accepted 3x4 and everything, so we met with her several times. She is great and has forgotten a lot, but remembers more each appointment and we will teach her all the lessons. She was not able to attend church as well, but we have an appointment with her next week and look forward to seeing her at church."

We got a call on Thursday from President Condie that we are having a three-day conference in Munich with all the sisters in the mission. We are so excited and head out in an hour. We do not know what we will be learning, but are excited to find out. We had to make arrangements for our appointments Monda-Wednesday and cram 10 scheduled appointments into Thursday, Saturday and Sunday (we have Zone Conference on Friday). We are so excited we have such a large group to work with! Just a few minutes ago we got a call from Goran, a man we met on the street a week ago. He has a young family and is from ... Serbia? (I forget) There was something in his eyes that told me he was ready. I hope he realized he is ready when we meet when we come back to Vienna. The field is white ...

We are working hard and doing all we can to proclaim the gospel. There is SO much joy in this work and blessings. I hope everyone who ever considered a mission will go. The Lord truly blesses his missionaries. I love this gospel! I love all of you!

--
Sister Carla June Carroll

Nine lessons this week

Dear family,

Excerpt from letter to President Condie,

"We had 9 lessons this week and are working hard to bring it up to between 15 and 20. We had an amazing experience in a church tour with Christina Bräuer and Schwester Hones, a member. We all felt the Spirit very strong and bore our testimonies of baptism and the sacrament. Things went really well, but she had to leave for vacations this week. We are continuing to teach Familie Kostić and look forward setting a baptismal date soon. We met with Sabrina Schmidt (about 25) and Frau Khamara (about 35) who have been investigating for several years, but we are seeing definite progress.

We met several with several people that we found through street contacting, referrals and dooring. We met a woman named Ezma from Bosnia, who speaks mainly Croatian. She is in her 40s and has a son who is 10 or so. He translated most of what we said. She was very interested in the Book of Mormon, but we had to give her to the Elders because she is moving to a different area next week. Yesterday was our day of miracles as we contacted a man, Walter Alt, we had met on the street who accepted the invitation to learn more. We were delighted he had his wife at home (we had explained that we cannot meet with him alone, so we needed her there, and we wanted to teach her!). He was very kind and interested in our message. We will meet with him in a week, when he is back in Austria. His wife spoke only a little German (Romanian is her language), but she was very enthusiastic about our message and we will vorbei a Romanisch Buch Mormon later today. Last week we met a young man on the street who said he did not believe in God and really had zero interest, but when we asked if he knew someone who might have interest he gave us his mother's information. Her name is Briggita Vager and we visited her yesterday as well and she is amazing. We gave the Einführungslektion and she accepted everything! She investigated the church 10 years ago and even came to church. Her son was there and though he insisted he was not interested, he listened in the background the whole time. We think he is interested and simply does not want to admit it. Her daughter, Victoria (12), was there too and accepted a Book of Mormon and to join in on the lessons. Frau Vager is an answer to our prayers and we are excited to meet with her again on Tuesday."

I am very surprised how many people accept our message after a short time of talking on the street! It is so clear that the Lord prepares others to hear the gospel and accept it. So, I have a few funny stories ... all from eating appointments. Two weeks ago, we met with Schwester Kraus, who fed us delicious Wienerschnitzel and more. She sent us home with several schnitzels, but we had an appointment immediately after, so I put them in my bag. In our next appointment, Verena Maier's 2 year old son, managed to find the meat in my bag, pull it out and find one and we saw him eating on with his hands. It was so funny! We have dinner appointment every week with Schwester Hinterhauser. I cannot think now of a specific instance, but we leave each week giggling to ourselves. She is very interesting.

By the way, President Condie clarified what is meant by emailing "family" for this mission. Family is only mother, father, siblings (and siblings-in-law). So .. I cannot email my cousins or Grandma, or anyone else. I do not know who I should ask to not email me, but I know that if I get emails from non-immediate-family, I just need to write a letter in response.

Oh, and I scored two goals in Fußball this week. Whoo-hoo!

--

Sister Carla June Carroll

My companion is an angel in missionary clothing

Dear family,

The plane ride was fine and another missionary shared a sleeping pill with me, so I was able to sleep most of the flight. We arrived at 7:30 am in Munich (11:50 pm MST). We immediately got on the train with a copy of das Buch Mormon and several pass-along cards and we were to "go and do". My temporary companion had been fast tracked at the MTC because she already speaks German, so she spoke with people and I just smiled and nodded ... most of what I do know. We went to the Mission Office where they tried very hard to keep us awake and tell us very important things. The video we watched on eating manners was so useful when I had my first eating appointment. Things are a little different here, but I like it. We left first thing in the morning on the train to Vienna, where I went with Elders Field and Ramage (Elder Field is the one with the broken leg--the doctor said he could still see the tear, but that he would be fine to go). We also went with Sister McGuire going to Haag and the other sister who returned to the mission after a medical leave. I will be embarrased later when I read this and remember that I did not remember her name. I have had a lot of new names go into my head. The train ride to Vienna was only about 4.5-5 hours. My "indestructable" luggage from Sister Missionary Mall broke sometime during the trip (I do not know when since usually Elders took my luggage, but my guess was on the plane).

Apparently you have already all heard, but my first area is VIENNA!! I was very surprised and found that I will be applying for my Visa while living here. My first companion is Sister Borcherding from Stadthagen near Hannover, Germany. She is an angel in missionary clothing. She has brown hair and a wonderful smile. Even though she did not need to learn the language for her mission, she is very patient with my rather pitiful German and helps me move at my pace. She has an amazing testimony of everything. She is the second oldest of five girls. Her older sister has four children. She also served in Vienna for her first transfer, then went to Salzburg (now closed for Sisters), then back to Vienna, so she is an expert. She has been out 4.5 transfers (maybe).

The field is white, already to harvest in Vienna. The ward members are great and welcoming, though I generally do not understand what they are saying to me. We visited with a few members throughout the week. Most are interested in sharing the gospel with others and responding to our referrals or praying that we will find people to teach. We met with Christina Bräuer from Peru and brought along a joint teach. She is in her 40s or 50s and very kind. Christina is very responsive to what we have taught and wants to apply these teachings in her life. She is afraid to come to church because she does not know people there, but Aline, our joint teach, bore a wonderful testimony of her experience in coming to church for the first time and how she was welcomed and overtime, the ward became her family.

We met with Cetin, a very intelligent student and currently Muslim. He had very good questions and Sister Borcherding told me later that he was more open and willing to participate in the lesson this time, probably because he is anxious about his German since he is from Turkey and my German is very new. We made another appointment for later in the week, but the next day, he texted us and told us he does not want to meet any more. We also met with Christina Zukal, around 25 and anxious to get married. Before I arrived, she responded positively to our message about families and accepted the pass-along card with little children on the front. We spoke a lot about the importance of families and bore our testimonies of the restored gospel. She was very receptive to our message and even prayed outloud at the end of the lesson.

We met with Ivana on Saturday. She was making very good progress up until this point, but when we arrived (also had a joint teach), she had a lot of questions about information she found on the internet. They were good questions, but the attitude with which they were asked were questions unto doubting and not understanding. She is from the Ckech Republich and so she spoke English with us a lot, so I understood a lot more of what was going on. She told us at the end that she wants to be more familiar with the Bible and then start to accept other scriptures. She told us she is not willing to read any more in the Book of Mormon. She liked what she had read and thought it was impressive, but continued to refer to it as a work of Joseph Smith, not of God.

Our family came to church!! (Kostic family) I have not met with them yet, but we hope to commit them to baptism this week. They are so sweet and the children are especially excited about the gospel. If you want to see a picture of my ward (WIEN II), just pick up any German pamphlet on any of the lessons (Die Wiederherstellung, Der Erlösungplan, bzw.). That is my ward! The GML (Gemeinemissionsleiter = Ward Mission Leader) was late yesterday, so we were not able to meet before church. Oh, and I spoke in church to bear my testimony, so all the members know now that I do not speak German. :)

--

Sister Carla June Carroll

First Area is Vienna, Austria!

Going to Germany!

This week was the most intense of all that I have experienced in the MTC thusfar. One sister became very ill Friday last and was taken to the hospital. She continued to get worse and suffered very much until she returned home Tuesday morning. We all look forward to her return when all medical can be cleared. Due to these events, I spent a lot of time out of class and away from my companions. She needed sisters with her at all times, but she always uplifted every soul that came to try to help her. I am so blessed to have had the opportunity to get to know her now and I look forward to seeing her in Germany.

I am going to Germany Monday morning!! We leave the MTC at 5:00 am. I have so much to finish and I am working hard to replace my fear with faith (2 Timothy 1:7). I know this gospel is true and I know it will bless the lives of all those that choose to accept it. I have had so many witnesses again this week to make my testimony even more firm. It's true.

Austin is baptized! He helped us so much and in our last lesson broke character and we evaluated the entire experience. I have learned so much from teaching at the MTC. Daniel is warming up to the idea of baptism and he mentioned that it will be hard to change his life, but he knows God's hand is in this work. It didn't feel right during the lesson to commit him to baptism (both my companions mentioned the same thing after the lesson), but it is very clear that he wants to come unto Christ through baptism after his comment of Mosiah 18:8-10.

I am so excited to be an aunt for the 25th time!! Congratulations Naomi and Kyle on Zade Wallace Thomas. I am so excited to meet him and look forward to getting LOTS of pictures. I love you all so much. I'M going to Germany!!

--
Sister Carla June Carroll

Life at the MTC is amazing!!

Dear Family,

Life at the MTC is amazing!! I cannot believe we only have two weeks--less than two weeks--left. Today we did service at the Provo Temple in the morning. I had the opportunity to help install and arrange a few chandeliers (Sealing rooms 12, 11, 10 and 5). I spent the entire time with Hilary Wilson, who works in the Laundry most of the time. She is an amazing sister with great spiritual strength. She served a mission in Kentucky. One of our new sisters headed to Alpine is a German major at BYU and speaks fluently, so she will leave with us and has been moved to an international branch. We are sad to see her leave our zone, but excited to have Sister Lind join us on the way to Germany. We should get our flight plans today ...

By the way, I haven't really explained our progressing investigators. Each investigator is a teacher here who bases his or her character off of someone they taught on their mission, a friend, or themselves in the past. As Elder Holland said about this kinds of teachings, "it may not be a real life situation to you, but it is real to the Lord. This is how he trains his missionaries." The Spirit in each lesson is the same Spirit we will have in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Hans-Peter is our only German language investigator at the moment, he is Brother Swensen, one of my two teachers. He based Hans-Peter after someone he taught on his mission. It is very real.

One of our investigators, Austin, committed to baptism on 26 July 2010. It is SO soon, but we only have a couple more principles to teach. He is ready as the Lord has been preparing him and working with him during this time. We are so excited for him. The devotionals and firesides here are always life-changing. I love the MTC. All activities here are truly inspired and run by the hand of God. So much goes into the functioning of this place and it makes all the difference. Richard I. Heaton, the Administrative Director at the MTC, gave the Fireside on Sunday and explained what the Apostles saw in vision what Preach My Gospel would do to missionary work. I thought a lot about April and Lucas and their emphasis on raising four outstanding missionaries. I will send them my notes. I found the fireside so uplifting and insightful. This is truly God's work.

Oh, yeah. So, in sacrament meetings in the MTC, they are in your mission language and they announce just after the Sacrament who will be speaking. All missionaries prepare a talk on the assigned subject. So, I gave a talk on Sunday about Repentance (Umkehr) in German. For the first time, the German seemed to just flow and I was able to speak what was in my heart. I honestly didn't understand all that I said, but I know the Lord was working through me to give the testimony I have been given to others. It was a neat experience.

Elder Field has started walking without his walking boot and the healing is coming. We are continuing to pray that he can come with us to Germany. Miracles have happened already and we all know that if it is the Lord's will, he will come with us and we will work as hard as we can in prayer and faith to show that we want him to come. Our district has grown really close in the last seven weeks. It is amazing what bonding comes through learning and growing together.

Thank you everyone for making sacrifices so I could have this opportunity to witness the process of others coming unto Christ. This is a divine work and each missionary out has been called of God and is a true servant of the Lord. Your support means so much to me. I love you all.

--
Sister Carla June Carroll

"Music is a fluid carrier of the Spirit"

Precautionary note--this computer keeps freezing, so I won't know what I'll be able to send. This week has been AMAZING in every way. I was so sad to see Sisters Jensen and Allen and Elders Wagley, Guthrie and Pierson leave for Berlin, Germany on Tuesday. It was hard to part with them, but I am so excited thast they are able to serve the Lord in the field of Germany. The field is white already to harvest! In EVERY mission! The sisters were our roommates, so for six weeks, we were able to better get to know them and learn more about them. I love them so very much. By the way, this computer freezes for one minute and then lets me type for one minute. The MTC is so interesting with each computer bug that comes each week. Anyway, the older district sang in Sacrament Meeting before they left--The EFY Melody (translated by them) including the Army of Helaman. I love this song and hearing it from missionaries that I love so dearly on the eve of their departure made me cry, but tears of joy. It seemed so long ago that I was singing that song in preparation for my mission.

We had an amazing fireside with Jenny Oaks Baker. I knew about her before, but had never had the opportunity to see her in concert. She shared her testimony and then played her testimony through the violin. Her nephew, Jared Oaks, played the piano--I recognized him from BYU. He played at almost every BYU concert I attended. Jenny Oaks Baker's father, Elder Dallin H. Oaks, attended the meeting as well. It was an amazing opportunity to feel the spirit so strong. I had many moments of near pure intelligence flowing into my mind. I wrote down a lot of things. One thought that I wrote down to share with Sister Jensen who is cosidering majoring in music was "Because music is a fluid carrier of the Spirit, hearts are healed, tears are shed and testimony is felt when a humble servant of the Lord plays. Music brings people joy and an opportunity to feel the Spirit that they might not have had without it. God gave us music to share with ours." Sorry for the typos, I have to type without looking since the computer onoly responds for about 10 seconds and then freezes for one minute or 3 minutes.

Friday of last week, we finised every German principle to be taught at the MTC. I cannot believe we are done! I am no where near fluent, however, so the next three weeks will be review. We are teaching Hans-Peter Mauer in German, but not getting as far as we would like as I rarely understand what he is saying. I am praying hard for the guidance of the Holy Ghost to understand what he would like to communicate. I am learning two languages--the language of the Spirit and the language of German. I know which is more important. :) Our other investigators are going well. Austin has still not set a baptismal date, but has started to share his own testimony of what he is learning. He has made great progress from the time we started to meet with him when he did not believe in God. Daniel committed to come to church! He actually went last week, but his wife forgot something, so they left before the meeting started. We are excited to talk about his reaction to church and finally sit down and teach hi8m about the restoration. Liz is so popular, that we were not able to meeti her this week since every available time she had was full.

I got an letter this week from Dad explaining my family history! I was so excited to read about my German and Switzerland ancestory and share it with others. Elder Field was able to explain to me where in England some of my ancestors are from. Saturday, our district participated in a fast for Elder Field's broken leg. Instead of fasting from food, we spoke no English. It was really hard, but with a lot of prayer and focus, I only spole three English words the entire day. I felt really weird speaking English after that. I learned so much from that experience.

We got NEW MISSIONARIES! This is the higlhlight of my week. ALL of this new district is going to the Apline German-speaking mission. One of the sisters is already fluent in German (she is a German and English major at BYU and has finished all her German classes and grew up in Germany), so she will leave with us, but we won't see her as she will be moved to a new zone learning the gospel in English (as if she was going English speaking). As my companion, Sister McGuire is now the coordinating sister, we were able to greet them and speak about how things go here at the MTC. It was so much fun to share our testimonies of obedience and encourage and support them. They will all be great missionaries. I'm so excited. I only have three weeks! Where did the time go??

Well, the gospel is true. Ich weiss dass. Always think of your friends and give referrals to the missionaries! Missionary work is 100x harder without the help of the members. Please support your local missionaries and them them this week how much you apprecite their service. Thank you, family, for all you have done for me. I love hearing about how Hyrum and Melissa all got sunburnt on their vacation and how they have had opportunities to share the gospel with friends. Thank you all so much for your updates. The every day little things mean the world to a missionary. I love hearing about your children and each little achievement. I love you all so much, family! This is such an opportunity for me and I hope you are feeling the blessings come for your sacrifices. Press forward, saints!

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Sister Carla June Carroll

In the Work of the Lord

Life is wonderful at the MTC with growth and opportunities all around. I finished my LAST extra curricular activities this weekend as we sang in the Standard of Truth choir (same choir as last time) and I had previously volunteered to give a narration. The meeting was wonderful and a great reminder that the Declaration of Independence for America was a gerat step in the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I also performed a solo on Monday for the Senior Missionary Orientation. I sang "I Heard Him Come". Many cried.

My German is truly being aided by the Spirit as we are now teaching lessons completely in German and have many days without English. I love this language and look forward to speaking it to all the German, Austrian and Swiss people. Thank you for your prayers to help me learn the language and grow to be a better missionary. I see the Lord's hand working through me daily. I learned this week that humility is about having confidence that the Lord can and will work through you and that it is to his credit that good things come to pass. That really changed my perspective. My DL's (now a ZL) leg is still in the walking boot and we have been praying for him regularly. He is able to put weight on it sometimes, but still needs his crutches to get around. He is being a real trooper.

Our investigator Austin has made a soft commitment to baptism and because of our incompatible schedule, we are only able to meet with him once a week. He had a rough time with the Word of Wisdom, but is willing to exercise his faith to experiment upon the word. Daniel opened up a lot to us about his desire to change and come unto Christ. Liz even started to open up, but she closed up almost immediately after asking a deep question. We picked up a new investigator, Hans Peter Mauer, who lives in Essen and has had a very rough life. He used to be married, but after his son died of Cancer, his wife left and after his mother died, his father severed contact with his family. Plus, all of our lessons with Hans Peter are in German. Amazing what the Spirit can do.

In our mission conference this Sunday (like a session of General Conference each fast Sunday), Sister Clegg shared a story and encouraged everyone to pray about a specific verse of scripture. President Clegg gave a great talk, mentioning that we should warn investigators that when they show any interest in the gospel, Satan will try to get in their way. He mentioned that this warning will be a testimony builder to them. President Smith shared a message about opportunities lost and opportunities found. He mentioned that we are all living our personal histories and asked us, "How will your history be written--an opportunity lost or an opportunity found?" The devotional this week was absolutely amazing. Elder Dellenbach (an emeritus 70 member) talked about the miracle of the Book of Mormon. If we sit and think about how much of a miracle the Book of Mormon truly is, we will want to share it with everyone! Heavenly Father brought this book so that we could enjoy the blessing of learning more about the attributes of God and how he works. He also mentioned that the missionaries are the embodiment of the message and we should let people see Christ in our countenance. That hit me hard.

While at the devotional, I met several missionaries who were basically fluent in German, but going elsewhere on their missions. I had felt my call to Germany was just because of my background in German as this would aid my learning of the language. I felt the Spirit tell me there was more to it. I know that Heavenly Father has called me to this mission for a purpose. For the people. For my companions. He will shape me to how I need to be for those people as he has already begun to shape me. I will be at my bvest because God is working through me now more than he ever has before. Though my testimony brings me the greatest joy, it is not for me. It is to share. I wish I had known all the miracles I would witness so early on my mission.

Thank you for all your encouraging letters. I love hearing stories of miracles you have witnessed as you see God answering prayers and working through you. What an amazing opportunity we have to be on the Earth at this time in this day. God is aware of each of his children and will personally guide them as they seek him. This gospel is true. The Book of Mormon bears witness of Christ and wa translated by the power of God. There is no other way it could have been brought to pass. Heavenly Father loves each of his children and wants them to come to him and find joy in the journey. I know all of this and so much more is true. The gospel is true in every language.

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Sister Carla June Carroll

PS--all nine Elders and Sisters in my district are going to the Alpine German-speaking mission. We have 47 in our district and will gain 17 and lose 5 next week. Everyone except our district is going to Berlin. I already love all the missionaries in our zone. Elders Reschke and Field are now the Zone Leaders and our new District leader is Elder Ramage. There are currently 11 sisters in our zone.

Make a Joyful Noise

This week was absolutely amazing! The Spirit is so strong here and love abounds well.. Our district is so close and we are always improving our unity.. We have learned so much German this week and trying to use it as often as we can.. As a district, we made a goal to speak only German in class from now on and to only speak German on Saturdays.. This will greatly enhance our currently abilities and invite the Spirit to aid our minds.

Today was really the most amazing day I have had in the MTC thusfar.. Today was our first performance for the new Mission Presidents and their wives. Behind the choir sat several apostles--prophets of our Lord! I nearly fainted at the end our of song (we only sing one a day), when I looked back and saw Quentin L.. Cook, Henry B.. Eyring, D.. Todd Christofferson, M.. Russell Ballard, Jeffery R.. Holland and Dallin H.. Oaks.. Being so close (only 5 feet away) was even a testimony to me that they are men of God.. Their very presence changed the feeling in the room and it seemed as though each person who could feel that could have testified to the world that these men are prophets of God.. I don't know why I am being so blessed here, but I am so grateful for these opportunities.. We will sing tomorrow morning (President Uchtdorf will be the main speaker, but we just walk in and walk out for the song), Saturday and Sunday.. Friday night is a special devotional, so we will be singing for the entire MTC, including Thomas S.. Monson.. We will also sing in a MTC-wide sacrament meeting on Sunday.. If you are interested, we were told that the special choir has a picture in the Church News, so pick up a copy when it comes out and look for me.. :)

More to do with music, I auditioned for a special solo musical number for a devotional, fireside or Relief Society (I don't know which one yet) and got in! I will get an invitation in the mail as to which meeting and when.. I am singing I Heard Him Come.. I am being so blessed here.. My mission is now and I am doing all in my power to be a representative of Jesus Christ.. We receieved three districts yesterday (33 missionaries......including 6 sisters), which nearly tripled our number in our Branch.. We have the opportunity to be examples to them and to live every standard to the tee.. There truly is a law in heaven that states that if we are obedient, God will bless us.. I see that every where.. I feel just as Ammon did in Alma 26:1,8,16,and 37.. There is so much joy in missionary work! There is also much sorrow, but God is there with us and in companionships we have the opportunity to grow and build each other up..

I realized I have not written much about my companions, or my previous emails did not go through.. Sister Anderson is a wonderful sister from Pennsylvania near Philedelphia.. She is a die-hard sports fan, especially in hockey.. She is about 5'3" and just broke 100 lbs, which she is very excited about.. She brings a lot of fun and joy into our companionship and is so sincere in her love for everyone.. Sister McGuire is from Provo, UT and has a beautiful voice.. She is more calm, but has so much passion for the gospel and music, that she shares her testimony in the way she lives.. She is a great example to all of us in the way she improves herself daily and is always willing to offer a kind word.. She is our senior companion and was born on pi day! Oh, and Sister Anderson was born on Aprils' Fools day..

We now have three investigators.. Austin is a Chinese major, who was married just two months ago and is extremely laid back.. When we first met with him, he did not believe in God and did not see a need for God in his life.. He has continued to meet with us and came to church this week.. We meet with him tomorrow and hope to invite him to be baptized if the Spirit allows.. He has read in the Book of Mormon and is continuing to pray of our message.. Daniel is from Mexico City, Mexico and a hard-core Catholic.. Our first meeting was a street contact (unplanned) and led to a little contention.. We repented and returned and discussed the plan of salvation last time.. We invited him to pray to know if our message is true and he said he would think about it.. Liz (actually Liz Remington, one of Sarah's good friends) is from Penn.. and studying to become an English teacher.. She did not like a lot of things about her childhood faith, Catholicism and loves attending her new born-again baptist church where everyone is very accepting and people praise God in a way she had never thought of before.. We love all of our investigators and pray for them every day..

I am learning so much and appreciate so much the uplifting letters I have been sent.. I love hearing a spiritual experience you had this week (thanks, Wayne! I shared your story for a Spiritual Thought).. I love you all and am diving into the work with full force.. I love being a missionary!

Sing, choirs of angels

I am loving my time at the MTC!! So much is happening here and June is the ABOLUTE BEST month to be in the MTC. June is the month that new mission presidents enter into the MTC, so the entire quorum of the 12 will be here and most devotionals are an apostle. Because of this special occasion, the MTC held auditions for a 36 voice choir from the MTC to sing at the devotionals held every day for the first presidency, the quorum of the 12 during the end of June. I auditioned and was accepted! We rehearse every morning at 7 am ... it's amazing how good we sound at this hour. My companion, Sister McGuire (the vocal performance major) was also accepted, so we go together, though she is singing alto and I soprano, so I don't really see her while we are rehearsing. I am so excited for this opportunity and am going to try to memorize all my music by next week (when it needs to be memorized). I also ended up volunteering to narrate a section in the special devotional for Independence Day ... I'm pretty busy.

I am learning so much German and our teachers (Bruder Duvall and Bruder Swensen) tell us we are moving at double the pace that most groups move. That is encouraging, but still leaves us with a lot of responsibility and memorization to keep up with. There are currently 4 districts in our zone (each about 7-10) and two are leaving this week. The other group is only 3 weeks older than us, and so wonderful. We will be getting 3 new districts on Wednesday! My companions and I are to be the examples to these sisters and our district needs to be especially careful to be examples to all 32 missionaries arriving. My Branch President (Pres. Curtis) and his wife are so excited for this large group to come. It will almost triple the size of our zone.

I want to share an experience I had with a "full-time" investigator (they are ALWAYS in role and dress in street clothes, so they are just like investigators). In our first week, we met Daniel Limon, from Mexico City and ended up in a slightly heated discussion about doctrines. We were so new and nervous, that we shyed away quickly, but bore simple testimony before departing, but we made another appointment. As a companionship, we worked hard on LISTENING to him and showing him we are here to teach and love people, not lessons.

I have so many wonderful experiences each day and try hard to soak up the abundance of the Spirit that is here. Yesterday, we watched a devotional Elder Holland gave in 2000 entitled "the Miracle of a Mission". Most of the talk was inspired on the spot. He emphasized over and over that "my mission meant EVERYTHING to me." As you might imagine Elder Holland would say in the way that he just seems to want to jump up and down. This is the only opportunity I have to do this and it is the MOST important work that can be done right now. I want to enhance every moment and be the best instrument in the Lord's hand I can be. I have learned so much and am excited for another week of growth and knowledge. Thank you for all your uplifting letters. I cannot tell you how much it means to a missionary to get mail of Spiritual experiences and daily activities. With the disappoinments that can come (yes, even in the MTC--I treat my investigators as if they were real), it is so helpful to get experiences you are having. If I need advice from what you learned on your mission, I will ask, but please send me uplifting stories you remember from your mission. I love you all.
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Sister Carla June Carroll