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