I'm trying to figure out what to write about. I didn't really have anything crazy or super cool happen this week. Good stuff happened. We had some lessons that went really well and I'm excited about their progress in the Gospel. I'm very hopeful for E. She has real intent and she really wants to know. She has done research on the church and she's liked what she's found. She's having trouble accepting or believing that Joseph Smith was a prophet. However, that's nothing that a study of the Book of Mormon and an earnest prayer can't handle. =)
We had zone conference on Thursday which was really cool. President Jensen talked about being a "celestial missionary" and what we can do to become better. It was really inspiring for me. Doctor Staelli came as well (I'm not sure how to spell his name). He's the doctor who oversees the missionaries in the mission here. He gave us all a little speak about eating healthy. I've been thinking about how I eat lately and what he said really matched some of the conclusions I came to, so that was neat. We had apartment and car inspections and so we cleaned and cleaned. We found this cool stuff called Armor-All. It sounded really intense and like a good idea. It told us to rub it on all plastics and rubber. It worked fantastic! We got a mango scented tree and we were all set for car inspections! We got our car inspection form on it and as far as evaluation was concerned, it only had one thing written on it: "your car smells and feels awesome". Elder O and I got a good laugh out of that.
I'm doing alright. I had a bit of a rough week this week but I think I'm through it. I did learn some good things because of it though. Everyone has trials. A good quote is "We're all like stamps. We can be licked, depressed, and thrown from post to post but if we will just stick to it, we'll get to our destination"
I know I've said I would try to take more pictures, but this week wasn't as good for pictures. There is this very sweet smelling flower that Elder O always stops and smells whenever we pass by it (see picture). I snapped a quick picture and then moved on. I think they might be called "sweet olive" but I'm not sure. Maybe someone who is more skilled in the ways of botany could figure it out.
This week has been one of personal growth for me. I'm pretty sure it's growth for the better, but we'll see.
It's really simple. The Book of Mormon is true. From knowing that, everything else falls into place. The Priesthood is the literal authority to act in God's name and it has been restored on the earth.
I miss you all!
-Elder Matthew Carlson
