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.
--
Sister Carla June Carroll

First Seek to Obtain My Word

"Seek not to declare my word, but first seek to obtain my word, and then shall your tongue be loosed; then if ye desire, you shall have my Spirit and my word, yea, the power of God unto teh convinving of men" (Doctrine and Covenants 11:21 from revelation given to the Prophet Joseph Smith in 1829)

On Wednesday, June 2, Schwester Carroll began her training to be a representative of Jesus Christ. She will be spending 9 weeks of her time in intensive training of the German language, and how to teach the truths of God's plan of happiness for his children. She maintains a disciplined schedule and is with two other sister missionaries 24/7. She has sacrificed school, work, entertainment, her entire life in order to serve the Lord with her entire heart, might, mind and strength. I am so proud of her.

Note: this post is from Sarah