Feliz natal!

                                                                              December 4, 2013

Meus queridos,

What a week! Transfers are always nuts beyond belief, but this time everything stayed the way it was! Huzzah! I’m so happy to be staying in my area for Natal (Christmas) and with my same companion. The stake has so many wonderful activities planned, most of them involving music, so I’m ridiculously excited for this transfer :) It’s funny, because December is literally the HOTTEST month of the year here. Like, I’m dying. So it kind of feels like cheating to be singing Christmas songs. Like Christmas in July haha. Here goes my first Christmas without snow! That’s okay, there are lots of other wonderful blessings here to make up for it. Principally the amazing members in my amazing little ward here :)

We had an all-sisters conference this past week, in natal! The 4 hour bus ride was great, it was so fun to see the other sisters and oh my goodness I LOVE my Mission President! He is so wonderful! It was definitely a learning experience for me. Presidente Soares gave the same training that he gave at a zone conference my third week in the field. Same power point slides and everything. BUT. My reaction was soooo different. The first time, I was a punk and didn’t really agree with anything he was saying and was actually upset because...well, I just had a lot of pride to iron out, still do. But this time I was open and receptive and learned SO MUCH to improve my area and my focus and help my investigators. And it was the same training, just a different Sister Carroll. I love who the mission is helping me become. It’s definitely a furnace of fire to purge out the weak parts, but I truly can see how the Lord is changing my heart.

Testimony of the week-
I have been blessed with a wonderful testimony of the Atonement, even before I came into the mission field. However, it was principalmente based on my own experiences. I saw in my life how the atonement has changed and helped me. But you know what is even more powerful? Seeing the Atonement work in the lives of other people. I love being in this ward because I can see my recent converts - who they are now, and who they were when I first started teaching them. It is a beautiful thing. The gospel changes lives. The Atonement is real. And it is only through the grace of Christ that real change will ever happen.

I love you all!

-Sister Carroll