From the Ground Up

November 16, 2015

Buenos!

It's been a busy week as we've tried to learn Spanish, how to be better missionaries, and tried to find new people to teach. It's a little difficult to be starting from scratch, but it's not different from any other area I've been in. We just have to work and pray and expect that the Lord will bless us with miracles and with people to teach. And he has started doing that this week.

Lately we've been teaching a lot of less active members. The people are kind of interesting here. It's basically like I'm teaching people from Clinton all over again. It allows me to embrace the southern culture again haha! I love southern people. They're kind and they remind me of home. And they really bring out the best in me!

But I do have to admit that my love for Americans has decreased significantly after working with the Hispanics. Hispanics are just.....nicer. And they're much more open to hear us. I came to Dunn with Elder Christensen and we knocked our first door here and it was a white man. He basically said we don't have time for you and that we should get off his porch. I felt terrible! And then the people from my last area flashed through my head and I just felt discouraged. I missed them. I missed working with Hispanics. And now I relish in the opportunity to speak to another one. I've met a few Hispanics here and they just make me feel happy. I don't have to worry that they'll hardcore reject me because they already like me! As long as you speak their language, you can relate to them. And then you start talking about their food and they just light up! It brings me so much joy! And now I'm in an English ward and it just isn't the same. The Hispanic culture has defined my mission and has taught me so much about how to love and serve....and eat haha. 

So we will continue to work on finding Hispanics. This ward is just too.....white haha. It's full of military people and medical students from Campbell University. It needs more color! Plus, President advised me to focus on Spanish work so Elder Christensen can learn Spanish.

Speaking of President James....this man is awesome. He's my hero. It's through him and the love that he has for me and all the other missionaries that has inspired me to keep going when I don't feel like I can. I had an interview with him on Thursday and he just blew me away. He gave me counsel that warmed my heart and I will never forget. The words he spoke to me comforted me and gave me the assurance that everything will be okay and that I am not alone in my struggles and never will be. He's an inspired man, no doubt. And he's certainly inspired me.

There is nothing to report in the work other than the fact that we are making progress and hope to have some great successes this week. Please keep us in your prayers. I need two baptisms before I come home. Help us make it happen!

Have a wonderful week,

Elder Landon Carroll

Change is....Good?

November 9, 2015

Well I'm in a brand new area with a BRAND new companion and life is just grand. Things are tough as always, but I continue to push through with the help of the Lord.

So I told y'all last week that I was getting transferred....and I did! I'm now in Dunn, which is one of three Spanish areas in this zone. I've now served in all three haha. This zone definitely defines my mission. I've spent over a year here already and I wouldn't have it any other way. I love serving here. The people are much more humble and everything is a little more relaxing. Just the way I like it! 

So about my new companion....His name is Elder Christensen and he's from Sugar City, Idaho. I like Idaho. It reminds me of the good times that I used to have up at school. Maybe the Lord sent him to me so I could prepare to go back. That's what I feel about it. Elder Christensen is great! He's waaaaayyyyyy different from Elder Flake, but that's not a bad thing. He's a lot younger, so naturally this will be a different experience from the last. And he doesn't speak Spanish, so teaching him has been an adventure so far. He's actually learning quite fast, despite not having the study materials.

Dunn is a wonderful place. It's really beautiful, full of evergreens and grassy plains. I've been here before from when I used to be in Clinton. I used to come up to Dunn like every other week, so I actually already know some of the members here. They're great! They're really helping us out. We need as much help as we can get considering we're "white-washing" the area. That means that no missionaries stayed to keep the area going. We're basically starting from scratch! Thankfully I know the elders that were here last and they took a lot of notes for us. Things have actually gone pretty well so far. I ain't even mad. 

I'd love to tell y'all about our investigators, but I don't know enough to be able to say. Just know that we have quite a few people with the potential to progress and that we will be doing our best to make sure that happens.

I wish I had more to write, but everything is just so new.

But if there's anything that I could say, it's that the Gospel is true and that it has really power to make us happy. It's not just something we believe in or a group we're all part of. It's literally the "power of God unto salvation." I'm truly grateful to be part of this great work and I know that I will be blessed for my efforts after my mission. It's been the hardest time of my life so far, but also the most rewarding. I'm just hoping that I can continue on this path for the rest of my life, because it truly does bring joy and happiness.

Enjoy the pictures!

Love,
-Elder Landon Carroll

Exciting News!

 November 2, 2015

This week FLEW by! Well, I guess they all fly by with how old I am in this mission. I have a little over four months and as I've said before, time is not slowing down. I just have to continue to give it my all so that I can be proud of what I will have accomplished at the end of my mission.

This week went really well. Despite not teaching as many lessons as we wanted, our investigators continue to show their willingness to put the Gospel to the test.

L (young one) was unable to come to church, but read seven chapter in the Book of Mormon last week. He said he hasn't felt anything, but we assured him that if he continues to read, he will gain the spiritual confirmation that the Book of Mormon is true. L set a new goal this week to not only read seven chapters, but to really pay attention to his feelings and write down which verse he liked the most in each chapter. I think with that mentality, he will have spiritual experiences. He said that his manager is still being a turkey, but he promises to come to church during fall break. We're praying that he has a spiritual experience at that time so that he can have the faith to find a new job or something. We pray for and expect miracles here in the NCRM. (North Carolina Raleigh Mission)

L (old) is also progressing. He did not come to church yesterday like he said he would, but at least he's beginning to read and pray consistently. We have a lesson with him tonight, so I'm hoping to make more progress. It''ll be my last time seeing him, so I will try to testify my heart out. (foreshadowing)

I tried to make progress with our old man R, but he is the most hard-headed man I have ever met. I try not to argue with him, but sometimes I have to raise my voice and talk over him because he just doesn't listen. I bore my testimony and committed him to read AGAIN, and we're bringing a different member every week so that they can tell their conversion stories. I wrote him a letter this morning, so maybe it'll touch him.

We also have this new investigator named Amado de la Cruz. He's a super humble man from Guerrero, Mexico. He's a man that truly recognizes us as servants of the Lord. In fact, he wouldn't come to church yesterday because he spent the whole day making tamales for us. He said he wanted to "celebrate us," so he made us some food. We went over that night and had some delicious food and a great lesson with him. He has a lot of real intent and has been praying to know if what we tell him is true. Unfortunately, he prayed to Joseph Smith, so I spent the first ten minutes of the lesson clarifying who we're supposed to pray to using the Bible. Halfway through the rest of the Restoration he finally says "so we don't pray to Joseph Smith, only God? And Joseph Smith was just a man called of God, nothing else?" I was so happy that he understood! That way I wouldn't have to leave Elder Flake with that issue. So we introduced the Book of Mormon and he said he would read and pray every day. And then we took a picture! And then he went and got his phone and we took ANOTHER picture! Really good, humble man. 

So now that I've foreshadowed enough, here's the news. I got a call from President James on Friday and he released me as district leader . :( BUT!....he gave me yet another assignment. No, I'm not going zone leader. This assignment is special and I guess he sees something in me. He wants me to train again in a different area, but the elder I'm training will have had no Spanish training whatsoever, meaning he did not learn any Spanish prior to coming to the mission. Not even in the MTC. So it's my job to train him and to teach him Spanish. It'll be weird to train again and not be district leader anymore, but I'm excited to be in a new area and to train another new missionary. I've learned a lot from training Elder Flake (and I hope that he's learned from me) and we've had a lot of success here. I'm sad to be leaving, especially with the way our investigators are going, but I trust Elder Flake and his new companion to follow through on what we've been doing and get these people in the water. I'm sad to leave Raeford, but there are new adventures elsewhere. Please pray that I can continue to progress as a missionary and that the Lord will give me the ability to carry out His work in the way that He wants.

I love each of you and hope y'all have a great week!

Love,

Elder Landon Carroll

Let's Just Baptize Again

 October 26, 2015

Hello,

This week was not TOO eventful, but I am happy to report that we are doing well and that our investigators continue to make progress toward baptism. I am extremely grateful that Nubia was able to get baptized last week and I pray that the Lord will bless her and bless us with more opportunities to bring people into the fold.

Our investigator L(young) is doing well. We fasted a couple weeks ago that he would be able to come to church yesterday, but his manager said no, maybe next time. So we will continue to pray that he can take that step. In the meanwhile, he has read a chapter a day this whole week! We set that goal with him and reminded him every day and he's been doing it! Hopefully he can continue to have spiritual experiences that will strengthen his faith in the Restoration. We will continue to pray for and expect miracles. God works in mysterious ways, and He will with Luis too.

Our other L (older) blew me away on Friday night! We brought a member there with us to teach and testify about the importance of the Book of Mormon and the Restoration and it just came out super well. Turns out that Luis has also read every day and has started bringing the Book of Mormon to work with him to read when he has nothing to do. He says he's really enjoying the stories of Nephi and loves the faith that he shows. We've had some difficulties getting him to church, but not anymore! L promised us that this week he will come! He told his daughter and his grandchildren that he can't come over on Sundays anymore because he has to go to church. He continues to show his faith and he is beginning to feel the Spirit in his life. Let's just pray that we can continue to help him on this road.

R is just ridiculous. We were with him last night for WAY too long, but at least we got somewhere. He loves to argue and pick apart our words for some reason, so we have to work through that. But basically we rebuked him for doubting so much and not keeping his commitments, and then showed an increase of love afterward. We invited him to read and pray about the Book of Mormon because it's the ONLY way for him to know the truth. He doesn't understand how to get his answer, even with our explanations, so we plan to bring a different member every time we go so that they can all tell of their personal testimony of the Book of Mormon. That's the last thing we can do for this man. I love him, but we can't continue to try to teach a man whose heart is harder than stone. All we can do at this point is pray that he accepts our invitation with a humble heart and with a willingness to search the scriptures through study and prayer. After that, we will be forced to say "Nos vemos!"

My mission has been quite the adventure. I wouldn't trade the experiences I'm having for the world. Sure, everything is incredibly difficult, but it's shaping me for eternity. Elder Flake and I are getting along well as a companionship and I'm hoping I can stay another transfer in this area. We're having so much success right now! People that other missionaries gave up on have now started to progress and one even got baptized! I just want to get another one! 

I'm grateful for the Gospel in my life. Without it, I would be lost. Even just the knowledge that I am a child of a loving Heavenly Father is enough to carry me through on hard days. It's that knowledge and that joy that makes me want to share it with others. People are lost without the knowledge that we have. Surely you know someone with whom you can share the Gospel. I invite you, as a representative of Jesus Christ, to do so.

I love each of you and am grateful for who you are and that love that you show me.

Have an excellent week!

Elder Carroll

Baptism!!!

 October 19, 2015

Good morning folks!

It's been a crazy and wonderful week as we've been preparing for Nubia's baptism. We almost didn't have time to teach our other investigators, but still managed to have one of the most successful weeks of my mission. These past couple transfers have proved to me that if you work hard and put your trust in the Lord, He will work miracles. And that's exactly what He continues to do for us.

L (Joven) progressed this week. We were finally able to fast with him so that he could come to church next Sunday. He went through the fast with faith and real intent! We have really built a desire in this young man, and it's showing in his prayers and that way he talks about the Gospel. He's still definitely a work in progress, but with some time and some church attendance, I think he'll progress toward baptism.

"Other" L has been sick this week, so we were unable to meet with him. We scheduled an appointment with him tonight, so let's all pray that it doesn't fall through. He really just needs to come to church and show some real initiative. We'll get there!

The rest of the week was focused on getting Nubia prepared for her baptism on Friday. So we taught her the remaining lessons she needed, got her some baptismal clothing, set up the program and made all the calls, and addressed any doubts or concerns she had. Let me tell you. This woman is amazing. She's been through an amazing conversion process and is fully committed to the covenants she has made with God. She hasn't wavered since she made the decision to be baptized.

Let me tell y'all about the baptism on Friday. So we got there early so we could fill up the font. This new building is awesome! The water heater is tank-less so there was never a shortage of hot water! We ran the water for over two and a half hours and the temperature never even dropped! But that's beside the point. So we filled up the font, set up the chairs, pulled out the TV, and made sure that the programs were set out. And then.....the baptism. We were so happy to see so many people attend. Nearly all the branch members came! That's how much support Nubia has. So we had our opening prayer, hymn, and baptism talk, and then it was time for the actual ordinance. Nubia's son, Edgar, got to baptize her. I was so happy to see that it went perfectly! And then right when she came up out of the water she gave her son a huge hug. It was a beautiful thing to see. Then I sang a special musical number "Señor, te necesito" (or in English, "I need thee every hour.) It went super well! I was proud of myself! Music always brings the Spirit, so we made sure to have a special musical number. After that, Elder Flake gave a talk on the Gift of the Holy Ghost and we had some closing testimonies and welcome to the branch. Everything went beautifully. I'll attach some pictures. 

So here's some of Nubia's story. She's 54 years old and she's been searching for a church her whole life. She's always had a good heart and a lot of faith, and she was searching many years for a place to show her faith. Six months ago, she wanted nothing to do with the church or the Book of Mormon, even after the sisters invited her to read and pray about things. She just refused. So then they gave her to us, hoping that maybe we could work some magic. So we started being bold with her and answering her questions about the Plan of Salvation, particularly the after life, and her eyes began to open. We then started showing lots of videos (because they bring the spirit and teach very simply) and she just started to understand everything. She then started to read and pray about the Book of Mormon and was able to receive multiple answers about its validity. As we continued to answer her questions and give her the hope of another chance to see her loved ones, she couldn't say no the baptism. So we set a date and the rest is history. I think what really made the difference with her is realizing just what the Gospel can bring her. She had the hope of seeing her loved ones again, and she used that hope to motivate her to action. Now she no longer has that hole in her heart, or that thing missing in her life. I remember during the talk on baptism, Sister Pouliot (sister missionary) said that Nubia's family was smiling down upon her. During that moment, Nubia just began to cry. She knew what she was about to receive and that through being baptized, she could perform saving ordinances for her loved ones. In fact, she already did THREE family names in the temple. That's how serious she is about this! She's just amazing.

And that's the story of Nubia. She was confirmed yesterday and is now a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. All of that because of our diligence in teaching her the truth and in her diligence to seek out answers from God. Simple, but beautiful.

And that was our week! Now we just have to get out there and continue to find those that will receive us!

Thank you for your prayers in my behalf. Y'all have an awesome week!

Elder Carroll

We did it! Or I guess...she did it!‏

 October 12, 2015

Good morning!

It's been an awesome week serving the Lord. We had a lot of great successes this week and I really enjoyed being part of the teaching of so many of Heavenly Father's children. I have found that most of my joy as a missionary comes from teaching a powerful lessons to investigators and just seeing the Spirit fill the room as their faces shine with excitement and with the love of God.

We were able to experience that this week with a couple of investigators. The first is N. I've kept y'all well informed about her progression toward baptism. A few weeks ago she accepted a baptismal date and began preparing herself spiritually for that day. This past week we were able to complete the teaching process (for now) with her to be baptized. She's been super motivated, keeping commitments, and "one hundred percent" as she says. So we taught her a couple of lessons, set up a baptismal interview, and she PASSED with flying colors! I was able to sit in there during the interview to translate and she just blew me away. Elder Brown, the zone leader who was interviewing, thought I was faking the translation to him her answers were so good! She's definitely done her part in learning and studying the doctrine of the restored Gospel. So she will be baptized this Friday at 7 pm. I would love to see you all there! 

The next one is L. He's the 18 year old. We had a great lesson with him about the Sabbath day and he seems motivated to keep it. We went to his house and he had watched some general conference talks on his own. I guess he just liked conference that much (or felt the Spirit) so he made the effort to watch some more. We plan to visit him tonight and start a fast for him to be able to make it to church next Sunday. He's really progressed these past couple months and I can see him being a great member. We just need to remember to pray and give him spiritual experiences.

We've also been meeting with M, our Jehovah's Witness friend. Lessons with him require a lot of patience just due to the nature of the situation. He's a missionary, and we're missionaries, so naturally we all just want to talk. The important part is that we make it a discussion, not him just reading out of his little books. We've gotten into a lot of good discussion about why their doctrine isn't correct and who God really is and it's opened my eyes to just how true the church is. I understand pretty well the JW doctrine (having studied it a little bit) and it just doesn't make sense at all. It's almost tragic how much it takes away from our potential as children of God. They claim that we don't have spirits, didn't exist before this life, cease to exist after we die until the resurrection, and that the purpose of God is to have us all living happily on a paradisaical earth forever and ever. Allow me to expound upon our doctrine a little bit.

We are all spirit children of our Heavenly Father. We lived with Him before this life as spirits. We loved and honored our Heavenly Father and wanted to experience a fullness of joy just as He did. In order for us to do this, God presented a beautiful plan. In this Plan we would come down to Earth, obtain a physical body, make choices and experience trials and hardships, but also experience joy and happiness. God also knew that because we would be given the ability to make choices that we would make decisions that were not in harmony with His teachings. In other words, we would sin. He knew this from the beginning, so He provided for us a Savior, who would enable us to overcome the consequences of sin and overcome the world with would live in. Through our obedience and through accessing the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we would one day be able to return to live with our Father in Heaven with a fullness of joy, having gained experience enough to truly understand the meaning of happiness.

Doesn't that sound pretty good? We have a divine potential and it comes through our obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel. Part of the Great Apostasy was the removal of these plain and precious truths, which in turn, limits people's potential. Even just the simple knowledge that we are children of God and that we lived with Him before this life opens our eyes to the possibilities of our existence. Without it, we cannot even begin to comprehend who we really are and why God put us here. He just wants us to be HAPPY. We have to be here so that we can one day be eternally happy. That's it.

So now that I'm done rambling, just remember how blessed you are to have the restored Gospel in your life. Remember that because of it, you know where you came from, why you're here, and where you are going. That's a priceless blessing. I'm just hoping that we can help Monty see his true potential as a child of God. I'm sure we'll figure it out.

Thanks for listening.

-Elder Landon Carroll

Tell me what kind of man would I be, living a life without any meaning...‏

 October 5, 2015

So....if I remember correctly, this was a great week! Time continues to speed up as I approach the end of my mission. In the beginning of my mission, the days were like weeks and the weeks were like days, but now it's just "everything is like an hour." Needless to say, I still have a lot of work to do.

We have a baptism coming up on the 17th for N, and I am fully confident that will go through. Our job at this point is to teach her everything she needs to know and make sure she is on the path to LASTING conversion. The last thing I want is to baptize a less active. She says that she is 100 percent and I can see that light in her eyes. She's just happy! When I got here, she was kind of "bah humbug" about everything, but she truly has gone through a change as she's learned about restored truths that have calmed fears that she has held on to for years. I'm grateful for the opportunity to be here to bring her into the fold.

We also had a lot of success with our other baptismal date L. He's progressing nicely. We got a member over to visit him and it went really well. We continue to promise blessings and ask him how he feels and he always says things like "if those blessings are really there for me, I want them. I know that baptism will be a good thing and will only bring good into my life." I hope that we can continue to help him progress toward his date. We've been trying to get him to church, but he has not made it yet. I think this weekend could be it. We just need to fast and pray a little more.

OTHER L is doing well. He's the 18 year old who's been investigating for a while now. We finally got him to church! Well, conference. But for what it's worth, he really enjoyed it. He really liked what the Apostles said and even found some things to apply in his life. We plan to fast this week with him so he can come to "real" church on Sunday. I think he's starting to get a little excited about the Gospel and I'm almost positive he has a testimony now. I really hope that he can continue to follow the Spirit so that he can make sacred covenants with the Lord and receive life-changing blessings. 

Conference was very enlightening. I always enjoy listening to the words of the prophet and apostles. As some of you know, conference is like Christmas for missionaries, so we really enjoyed it. I especially enjoyed D. Todd Christofferson's talk about the need for the church. I've met so many people on my mission who look at the message of the Restoration and say "the church doesn't matter. It's not the church that saves us, it's Christ." Or "we are all part of the church of Christ. Anyone who believes in Him is part of that church." Or "we don't need apostles anymore. They left their message and now it's our job to study their words." We don't need apostles? We need apostles simply because us "Christians" are not unified under one body! We believe in different things! God called the apostles to proclaim truth, correct error, and administer the ordinances of the Gospel. The church has those same purposes: 1) Proclaim truth 2) Administer the ordinances 3) and keep us under one head, that is Christ. If we all believe different things, we cannot succeed. I liked one thing that Elder Christofferson also said. He talked about people who don't join a church because "spirituality is something personal and can simply be done in the home." His response? There are things that God cannot and will not accomplish unless we are all together to carry out His purposes. Look how he mobilizes the members and missionaries to spread the Gospel! He needs everyone working together. It's our job to be part of the work.

Sorry for the rambling. I just get excited sometimes. Some other things that stood out to me were the age of President Monson, the sustaining of three new apostles, and the testimonies of the Atonement and sincere conviction of the apostles. President Monson looked a little tired this session. In his talk yesterday morning he was struggling to stay standing. I'm sure we were all praying for him as he delivered his powerful witness of the Savior and of following his teachings. I'm grateful for his service and I hope that we can all continue to keep him in our prayers so that he can finish his earthly mission with health and happiness. I'm grateful for the sustaining of the three new apostles, Elder Rasband, Elder Stevenson, and Elder Runland. The only one I really know of is Elder Rasband, so it'll be nice getting to know the other two through the years. I love the apostles and I'm grateful for the words they share and the revelations they receive. They are commissioned by the Lord and hold the charge to carry the Gospel to the world. It's our duty and privilege to follow their counsel and learn from their examples. For a long time, President Packer has been dear to my heart. I've always loved his words and his witness of the Savior and the Atonement. In my heart, he was truly a witness of the divinity of the Plan of Salvation and of the reality of the Atonement of the Savior. All of the apostles share the same calling, and we need to be sure to heed their words so that we can experience the blessings of eternity.

There I am rambling again. I tend to do that a lot. Well....I better wrap this puppy up. It's been a good week and I have been uplifted spiritually. I hope that you all were as well. Please continue to keep me in your prayers as we strive to find the elect and bring them home.

Love,

Elder Landon Carroll