Be Happy- Love Life

"I asked God to give me all things that I might enjoy life. He gave me life that I might enjoy all things."

HELLO TO Y'ALL YANKEE'S UP DAR IN YONDER NORTH?!

I reckon, it has been one crazy week. Elder K and I, we be sweating so hard cause the sun be beaten down on us. But we don't mind cause we got the Lord at our back and the wind in our face.

I don't have much time left at all (about 10 minutes) so I'll have to cover the big highlights.

MONDAY: was a busy day. We were running most of the day as we had a move in the morning which mostly consisted of me putting stuff on the truck, Elder K stacking and tying all sorts of knots to hold things in place, and the Sisters moving cinder blocks and old tires around. We showered then emailed at the Family History Center as it was Memorial Day. We had a lesson with a member's son (Brother J) who is not a member. Brother J is awesome and recently came back to church a year ago and turned his life around. His son likes the church and wants to be baptized but just isn't quite committed yet. We set some goals and talked about the Book of Mormon mostly. It was an interesting lesson as Elder K and I were not quite in sync (we're still working on our companionship unity). We shopped and organized our still very messy and scattered apartment. We haven't had any time to actually set things up since we moved. I worked on a project for a missionary friend which started to look really good- I've been working on it for a long time and I'll send some pictures home when it's done (I don't want to spoil it just in case they're reading this). We washed the car by hand. We didn't have a hose so we filled up a few buckets of water and carted them down the stairs. We'd add soap and then just dump a bucket on top. We waxed afterwards and it looked pretty good. The Sisters cleaned up the interior and wiped everything down so it's really nice. It does need a good vacuum as neither of us had an extension cord. We were both pretty tired.

TUESDAY: We had zone training in Douglas. It was about obedience and was quite good. It was really weird being back there again as I kind of never really expected to come back. It was good to see Elder Y and Elder D again. Elder H was also there which was nice. He's still his tall, really strong, smiling self. We spent most of the rest of the day cleaning out the old apartment as I really wanted it clean. It took many hours as Elders had been living there for a long time. My guess was about a decade. The landlady said she has been renting to Elders for about 8 years now (she's really nice). We celebrated with banana pudding milkshakes from Zaxby's. They were quite good and you just can't get more southern than that. We moved the last bit of odd stuff and all the cleaning supplies and locked up. We were both pretty beat after that. That day I had a lot of time to think.

Out of time. It was a good week. We had some good lessons and some good days. I saw miracles and was given words to say as I needed them from the Holy Ghost. I was particularly helped by my fast as I fasted to be a better companion and become more celestial. My desire to be nicer to Elder K as well as my desire to be obedient has increased. Every week I'm learning so much!

The mission is awesome. As to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things; yea, behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise him name forever. (Alma 26:12)

MOSES 6:31-34 - The Lord is with those who are with Him.

Matthew 11:30 - Think of light as a noun- think Spiritual light.

I love and miss you all!

Elder Matthew Carlson

Expect the Miracle

Hello everybody!

Sorry to have interrupted your regular programming last week as I didn't send off a letter. I'll explain why in a bit but for now I'm just going to dive right into the last few weeks.

I learned I was getting transferred last week on Monday (13th) and things got pretty crazy after that. I packed like crazy and we had lunch with G. It was pretty fun. He told me as we were walking out of the 50's-ish diner "I'm going to miss your spunky nerdiness Benjamin" (he calls me Benjamin since I wouldn't tell him my first name). More packing and dinner with the F's soon commenced. There was a lot of delicious food.

It was a good day.

Tuesday (14th) was a fun day as well. It was my last district meeting in Madison so I tried to make it a good one and we had some fun afterwards as we had a district activity.

Elder B made french fries and something he calls Pizza Cookers. You put bread in this little device that squishes the bread together with sauce and cheese inside and then put this device over the coals (you can see the devices and the coals in the bottom left of the above picture). It was a fun day. We had a great lesson with R. He was sad to see us go. The funniest thing he said (he says a lot of funny things) was when we asked M to share his testimony (he's a youth in the branch). "You have a testimony? How old are you?" M looked at him "16". R just sat back in his chair and looked at M. "16? And you have a testimony?" He looked at me and pointed at M, "He's only 16 and he already has a testimony! He's doing awesome." I hope and wish them the best especially as they progress in the gospel.

Wednesday (15th) was mostly spend with Elder R. I woke up early and finished the last bit of packing frantically. We loaded up the car and picked up P. The B's had already taken a load of P's luggage to Tallahassee (the only way we could have fit 4 elders and 6 suitcases in that little Corolla was a very painful one). The B's have been transferred to Tallahassee to fill a spot in the institute program caused by another senior couple having to return home unexpectedly due to medical problems. We drove for a while and arrived at the mission home around 9 o'clock in the morning. Elder R and I went around and grabbed suitcases for the Elders without cars that were getting transferred. One missionary in particular, Elder R, was going home the next day as he was done. He was funny though. We did some tracting and tried to find some referrals with some success. We had one less active member pull up right as we were about to leave after trying him. We had a nice chat. We picked up Elder R and drove to the mission to get me transferring. Elder R was in the back seat and as we were turning on to the street that the mission home is on he said "Wait! No. We weren't supposed to turn there! This isn't happening! I've got like 6 more months! I can extend! President!" It was pretty funny. He's back in Canada now. Anyway, I met Elder K and we loaded up our silver Ford Fusion and I backed him out. We drove off into the sunset at the speed limit. We lost the caravan but luckily we had a GPS. We met the Tifton Sisters and they asked us to go get them something for dinner (we share the car and we had the car at that point) so after getting lost and getting gas we finally got them a pizza. I was surprised that Pizza Hut was open at 9:30ish at night but it was. We came back and crashed.

Thursday (16th) we coordinated with the Sisters and sifted through a massive amount of records. We didn't know anyone or where anything was. We got in contact with some members and combed through the area book looking for their investigators. They had some people they were working with but it looked like we had a lot of work to do. It was a bit of a rough day but we made it work. We visited Brother C and had a nice visit since he's the high priest group leader and knew much more about the ward than we did.

By Friday (17th) I was warming up to Elder K. He's a very much opposite of Elder F. He's a nice guy though. Anyway, we had an awesome lesson with a man named J. He was a referral from Elder N (one of the Assistants). Elder N served here before and he asked us to try and contact this guy. He was really solid until he just disappeared. We called him up and set up an appointment as he had been thinking about starting to meet with us again. He had disappeared as his car has been totaled, his fiance broke up with him, and he lost his job. Really nice guy. He's going to school to be an RN and has his CNA but is working on finding a job. He really liked meeting with the missionaries and liked the feeling he had when he was being taught and when he came to church before. We mostly reviewed the Restoration and really focused on the blessings and the peace that the Gospel brings into our lives. We contacted a very sleepy headquarter referral who had just woken up (he knew we were coming as we had called). He wasn't too interested but we gave him a copy of the Book of Mormon. He was a little confused by it but after we explained it a few times, he got it. We knocked on this one door and a small lady came out and I introduced myself. She looked at me a little blankly and said "No..engrish." I asked where she was from. I think she said she was Vietnam but I wasn't sure. I explained how we were here for Jesus Christ. She held up a hand indicating to me to wait and walked into her house. She came back a minute or two later with a little box about the size of a deck of card and hit the button on the top and held it up so I could see. It started playing oriental music and it had a picture of Buddha on the front. I pointed at the picture and asked "Buddha?" She nodded her head. I offered our help but she was either good or didn't understand the question. We walked away and I looked at Elder K and said, "Man, we just got Buddha'd".

I'm going to have to speed up here as I'm running out of time.

The main highlights of Saturday (18th) were having dinner at the family reunion as some members invited us over. We had hot dogs with coleslaw on top. I was suspicious but I tried it and I'm still doubtful. It was okay. We tracted some streets and the longer we were on the street the fewer people were out or answering their doors. We did meet one lady who took a Book of Mormon after much explanation, "if it isn't the Bible, it's confusing".

Sunday (19th) was when things finally started coming together. I made it a point to talk to as many people as I could to try and figure out who everybody was. All four of us missionaries got to introduce ourselves from the pulpit which was nice. We had some lessons with some people- one of them being B. We have our work cut out for us. He's a very nice older gentleman who believes that Joseph Smith was a prophet but isn't sure on the Book of Mormon but thinks it might be but doesn't really think that the Church is really true. We're not sure on his interest level either. We'll keep working with him and hope and pray things work out. There was also a missionary fireside about the history of missionary work in the south. It was mostly about how missionaries used to get killed- fairly recently too. It wasn't the most encouraging fireside but the shrimp was really good and the presentation was well delivered. I came away with a determination to do my best and not worry about the results. My job is to invite not make people do it.

Monday (20th) we emailed and got lost on the way. The sisters didn't know we had 2 hours to email not 1 so they left early. Elder K and I cut corners and wrapped it up right quick and hurried out to meet them. I bought some shirt stays from the army surplus store. They're nice and my shirt stays tucked in like no other but I feel like I got robot legs or something when I wear them.

We had a powerful experience with Sister D as we received a call that she had been attacked and beaten in her home. We were asked to go give her a blessing. We went with the Sisters and had a very powerful lesson about how much God loves us and D&C 121- where the prophet Joseph Smith receives the answer to why bad things happen to us. Elder K and I were able to give her a very powerful blessing. It was a special experience. I also learned that cake in milk is fantastic. For realz.

Tuesday (21st) we had district meeting in Albany and it was pretty fun. I enjoyed it. We sweated. A lot. Elder K soaked his pants pretty good.

We had to make a DQ stop and I got a Georgia Mud Blizzard as I was in Georgia (it was delicious).

Wednesday (22nd) we rode down this crazy dirt road. I was sliding around. It was pretty rough. Our appointment fell through =(. We biked a long way.

We had coordination in the evening. It was effective and efficient. I liked it.

Thursday (23rd) weekly planning consumed most of the day. I tried hard boiled eggs- still not sold. Brother T came out with us on splits and we had a good lesson with one of his home teaching families. One of Brother M's friends was there and he had some pretty good stuff to add to the lesson- it was focused on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. For dinner, Elder K made me waffle house hash browns for dinner (we found a big box of them in a cupboard. How we got raw waffle house hash browns I don't know).

Friday (24th) we had dinner at the E's. It was funny since the 8 year old looked at his mom and asked "Did you sign us up for church during the summer?", "Of course.", "Noooo! Don't give summer to church!". It was kind of funny.

Saturday(25th) we moved! The Sisters and J helped us out which was really nice. I don't think we could have done it by ourselves.

old apartment being moved

We had a great lesson with J and we taught him the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We read 2 Nephi 31 with him and talked about enduring to the end. We asked him what he understood and he said "All my life- I've been taught that you're saved and you're good but this is saying it's a lifelong thing- I gotta keep trying and working at it.... okay. Makes sense." He's awesome. He even committed to be baptized! I'm pretty hopeful for him.

Sunday I gave a very long talk which was good and bad. I stole all of elder Kelly's time.

I love and miss you all!

I'm stepping up. I want to leave with no regrets and I am expecting miracles. I am determined to give my all even if it does involve a lot of aching and sweating. Because you see, this Elder go to 11. When you get to 10, that's the highest others can go. When they need that extra little boost, you don't have it. I'm going to go to 11.

Elder Matthew Carlson

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!

Well, this Wednesday is the big day. Transfers. It is a HUGE transfer. They're going to have 2 vans, a truck, 2 trailers, and about 10 cars. 48 missionaries are leaving Tallahassee and at least 28 will transfer from each spot.

I knew I was getting transferred since Friday but I didn't know where. It turns out I am headed to Tifton, GA. I didn't see that one coming at all. That means I'm probably going to be part of the new Georgia Macon Mission. I don't know how I feel about that. I guess I'm mostly in shock right now.

Anyway, this week was an interesting one. After emailing on Monday, we went to a Mexican restaurant with Sister P. It was alright but I was kind of disappointed. The food was alright. It was fun to eat with Sister P. We even stopped by at One Scoop or Two which is a really nice ice cream place for ice cream. The ice cream man there is really nice and Sister P even invited him to church. We had dinner at the R's which was fun. We had chicken and rice with tomato gravy. It was pretty good and we had a good lesson about faith afterwards. We really encouraged the four boys to serve missions.

Tuesday was district meeting. It was pretty good and I enjoyed it. It didn't go as good as last week but it turned out good. We did role plays of different finding situation at the end and I was the investigator. We had a rough day after that. Everything kind of fell through and I don't remember a whole lot of what happened that day.

On Wednesday we were going to go over and see C but she called and cancelled as she had a good family friend staying with her and she just had too much to do between taking care of her business and taking care of her friend. So we volunteered at the thrift store instead. We saw some people there and said hello and gathered many hangers. We visited G but she had pulled her shoulder and was hurting pretty bad. It was in a sling and everything. We talked a bit about how every time we try and come over it seems like something comes up. We had lunch and then tried a former investigator. We walked around and talked to a few people including a very nice but very old lady. She was pretty excited for us to come see her. We decided to go to Burger King for a drink (it was very hot and their water is really cold) and we just happened to bump into the former investigator. We talked to him and he seemed open for us to visit- he was just hard to catch. We visited a few other people and talked to them. We had a missionary coordination meeting with the new branch mission leader, Brother L. He's a really nice guy but he's pretty intense. He looked over our progress report and made these comment (I'm paraphrasing here) "we need more people. Y'all didn't come on your missions for this. Y'all are not super home teachers. You need to be able to think about these people and see where they are going, otherwise rethink why you're meeting with them". It was a wake up call for me to refocus my time and efforts and try harder to be better.

Thursday was largely taken up by Weekly Planning and other things. We mowed Sister B's lawn which was nice. I thought a lot about district meeting and I received some good ideas. It should be a good one. After a nice shower and lunch it was time for weekly planning. We talked a good bit about our companionship unity which has been suffering as of late. We talked about some good issues and resolved some things. We visited Brother W as he wasn't feeling good and was sick. We've been trying to work with his grandsons C and B. They're very hyper but they love church and Primary. They're not members but they come with their Grandpa since he started coming back to church. Their dog recently (about 3 or 4 weeks ago) had puppies and they really wanted to show us so out came B with all 4 puppies in a wheelbarrow.

It was pretty funny to watch the puppies bouncing up and down peeking over the sides as B wheeled them over. We tried some people with Brother B but no luck. We had a great dinner appointment with the D's. It was the first time I had been out there as it was 30 miles from our apartment. On the way, the B's stopped and we got pictures of the flowers (they do that frequently).

The dinner was quite good- pork steaks with rice. They also had this amazing dessert that was whipped cream, chocolate pudding, and chocolate cake with little bits of toffee on top. I enjoyed it. We also had a great lesson with their grandson and we talked about serving a mission and the faith that it required. It was good.

Friday we did service at C's. We pulled up the new vines that were growing and we cleaned up. She was really busy so we didn't really get to talk much. Elder F called Sister Jensen asking her if he needed to move his doctor's appointment on Wednesday (transfer day) and that was when we learned I would be transferred. I was rather sad actually- I really like Madison and the people we are working with are making progress and I kind of want to be there for that. Ah well. =( But anyway- after lunch we set out again. We saw J C and we also had a nice chat with the S's- a very nice retired couple. They had talked to missionaries in the past but are very involved in their Methodist church. We went with G and made candy at the Methodist church and talked to some people there. They were quite friendly and I had a pretty good time except when I burned myself. It wasn't bad though. The finished product was quite delicious.

We had a great lesson with R and R. They are really excited about getting baptized and have cut their smoking in half! We went over the baptismal interview questions and they agreed to everything and wanted it written up for them so they can put it on their fridge and think about it everyday. It was a fun night. They really enjoyed the dinner at the R's last week. R said "It was like we were huggin." They really felt something special which we explain was the Spirit and told them how we want that same feeling to be in their home.

Saturday it rained quite a bit in the afternoon. We got soaked pretty good riding home to get the car. We visited a few people who weren't home, busy, or had moved. We did have a good visit with Ms. M. She's been really busy or tired whenever we come over and we finally caught her working in the yard. We were able to talk to her and really emphasize the importance of the message that we share- she agreed to let us come back and share it and we made sure we had a specific time that we could come back that she would be there.

Sunday was mother's day. Church was quite good- I even got to bear my testimony as I had told J that I was leaving and he told President R. Sister B gave a great and quite funny talk about how important moms are. We went to temple prep class as none of our investigators came to church (R and R had to go pick up her sister). After lunch and dropping off some flowers for those who weren't able to make it to church, it was Skyping time! Elder F did FaceTime to home and I talked with the R's. L asked me to draw her a picture so I did. This is what came out:

Someone mentioned friendship turtles and I thought it might look like a good picture so I drew it. Anyway- we went with J and had a great lesson with the K's (Sister B's nephew). I originally tracted into them the day we went to his brother's funeral. They both work a lot so it's hard to catch them but we taught about how God is our Loving Heavenly Father and about the Spirit World. It was a bit all over the place but it was still good. They would go on tangents but Elder F did a good job of knocking it back on track. We asked if we could come back and explain more about where the Book of Mormon came from as they had questions. Then it was time to Skype home which was very funny and I hope all the family enjoyed it. I ate dinner with the R's which was pretty good if rather late and said my goodbyes. I'm really going to miss them.

But anyway- we came home and Elder F met a very nice but very sad dog. It was obviously well trained as it was very nice and would listen when you told it to sit or stay. It also looked very abandoned as it was very skinny. Elder F petted it which it really enjoyed and it started to follow him around. It would whine and cry a lot since I'm guessing it was really hungry. I didn't really want a whole lot to do with it but Elder F has a soft spot for dogs. He gave it water and chicken noodle soup (it was all we had and he wouldn't eat the pork and beans). We finally went inside and planned. The dog chilled on the doorstep and cried some more for a bit but he was gone this morning. He was a pretty nice dog. No collar though.

Well that's our week. Interesting as always. I want to leave with one last observation that Elder F made. We ran into a man who was passing through Madison on his way to Texas. He didn't have any money and needed a place to stay and was wondering if he could stay in the church for one night. So we called President R and he talked to the man. He was from Mexico and President R served his mission in Columbia so they started talking in Spanish so I only understood a little bit of what he was saying. The conversation ended with the man saying "You can't help me?" and he handed the phone back to Elder F. He turned away with a very unhappy expression and stormed off. We talked to President R who had offered him a ride to Tallahassee that night, a spot in the homeless shelter, and a few other things; but the man didn't want anyone to know he was here. We felt pretty bad about not being able to help him when Elder F made the comment: "I think that's how it's going to be at the Judgement. Christ is going to say I can do this and this for you and I can do this if you do this so you can get that. We are going to be the ones who turn him down and walked away because we're unwilling to take the blessings as we are unwilling to take the requirements of those blessings."

This work is real. It is also very hard. But I'm learning to love hard.

I love and miss you all!

Elder Matthew Carlson

Rainy, Rainy

Well- it's been a rainy, rainy week here in Madison and I don't have much time to describe the week (unfortunately) as I have a lot of things to say. But it's been a pretty good week. I'll try and just cover the highlights.

Dinner with the R's was on Monday (not President R but his brother). It was quite good and a pleasant evening.

Tuesday we had a wonderful district meeting. I was very grateful that the Spirit was there in such abundance. I had prepared and thought quite a bit about what to say. It didn't go exactly according to plan but it was still good. I really tried to encourage and motivate the Elders in the district to a higher level of commitment and hope. There are great Elders in the district and we all had a rather discouraging week last week and I just wanted to let them know how much I love them, the Lord loved them, and how important this work is. The Zone Leaders were there and they had a few comments about planning. Elder R (one of the Zone Leaders) and I went on a trade-off afterwards and we had a pretty good day. I said goodbye to Elder F as he headed off to Tallahassee for the day and Elder R and I rode back to Madison with the B's. We had two stops on the way. The first one Elder B just pulled over and told Elder R to get out of the car. He looked at me in some confusion and I explained this was normal. We all got out of the car and walked to a large group of wildflowers (they're called phloxs). They're usually purple and they're actually quite nice looking. Elder B took a picture. We then stopped to get something to eat at a old gas station that had been turned into a food stop. I was a bit suspicious at first walking in but they made a solid chicken club. It was actually quite good. We arrived back in Madison and hopped on the bikes and we didn't really stop until that night. We rode long and hard and talked to many people. We both sweated a lot. It was a warm and sunny day and the gnats were out (I really don't like gnats) but we still had a good time.

Wednesday we traded back and had a great lesson with C. We had planned to talk about the Gospel of Jesus Christ but ended up talking about how to feel the Spirit. We mowed Sister B's lawn and ran out of gas for the mowers right as we finished. It was kind of relaxing to mow to be honest. It was sprinkling ever so slightly and it felt good. We had our missionary coordination meeting which turned out good.

Thursday we did weekly planning and it was also my 18 month mark. We didn't really do anything too crazy. It rained a lot. We did go to McDonald's where I very much worked the system with the use of coupons. I ate about $5 of food for $1. I know it's nothing fancy or cool and it's only $4 but it felt kinda cool. I think I am beginning to understand what Dad calls "The Hunt". We had an interesting dinner appointment with R and R. They came to President R's house and we had a delicious meal followed up by a lesson. There was an object lesson on faith and we talked about repentance. President R did most of the talking but he did a wonderful job. He really fellowshipped them and helped them know what he was there for. It was a very good lesson and it really culminated in committing them to quit smoking. We gave them blessings to help them have the strength to do it.

Friday we tore down vines around the tennis courts and got rained on. I celebrated the 18th month mark and got a pecan pie milkshake from the ice cream shop downtown. It was a bit spendy but it was great! Probably one of the best shakes I've had. It had a whole slice of delicious pecan pie and lots of really good ice cream in it. Mom and Dad talk about coming and touring the mission with me and we'll defiantly have to stop there when we come through. Maybe even multiple times.

Sunday was great! R and R came to church and I was able to help them follow along in the hymn book. Church was quite good all in all. We finally caught a family we've been trying to catch for a long time. There's a long story full of miracles but needless to say, it was a miracle we caught them (he got home as we pulled up). We mainly answered questions about who we were and what a mission entails as well as explaining we had a message that would bless their lives and we wanted to share it with them. They even made us some pretty good ham sandwiches. Elder F wasn't feeling well and still isn't 100% so we turned in for the night a few minutes early (sinus and fever that sort of thing).

Sorry- out of time. I don't have much time left on the mission either but I'm going to use it the best of my ability! I love and miss you all. This is the Lord's work.

Elder Matthew Carlson

[He didn't include a title this time]

Well- it's been a bit of a rougher week than usual. It's been a slower week as well and a personally difficult week. But hey, it's all to make me stronger, eh?

But anyway- we've had some fun times this week. Monday the big highlight was Pizza Hut with Sister P as it has been every Monday for a while. I ate a lot of pizza. My favorite would be the steak and barbecue sauce one- it's just so good. Then on top of the many slices of pizza, I had many bread and cinnamon sticks. So, I ate a lot. Then we went and played tennis with A and J. We played for a long time and had some pretty good volleys back and forth but we still are all not very talented. We had dinner at their house which, as usual, was really good.

Tuesday I went to Crawfordville with Elder T. We went to district meeting and it went pretty good. I feel that many things were learned and that faith was increased. I hope the district appreciates these meetings- I just don't want them to feel like they're boring or a waste of time. I really want to help them as I have a lot of love and respect for the Elders of my district. I've gotten much better at being a district leader but I still have a long way to go. Planning district meeting has gotten much easier and I feel my delivery has improved as well. Anyway, Crawfordville is a large and very good branch. They also have a lot of good food but I'll get to that later. The Elders there temporarily gave up their car for a transfer as there is a car shortage here in the mission. So all they have is bikes. Their area is also very far away from ours. It's about an hour and a half of driving on the freeway between Madison and Crawfordville. But anyway, I hopped into the car of the member who had brought the Crawfordville elders to the meeting in Perry. The first stop was at Golden Corral. It was pretty good as far as buffets go. The floors were clean and the food was decent. I really liked the desserts though- they were really good. It was my second or third time going to Golden Corral so I wasn't sure how different it would be from the Pensacola one (the Pensacola one was really nice and bigger). I was a little disappointed with their lack of selection though. We got back and after studying for a bit and working out plans for the day to try and throw off the food grogginess, we hopped on the bikes and started biking. I had forgotten to put the bike rack on the B's car that morning to bring my bike as the B's take us to district meeting so I rode Elder A's bike that day. He's about 6" inches shorter than me so his bike was kind of small. It was a Liahona bike from back in the day when the church made bikes. It was actually a pretty nice bike considering what it has been through. Anyway, we biked to many people who weren't home or busy. =( It was kind of disappointing but Elder T didn't let it get to him and we worked hard all that day. I did get to see a giant elephant in someone's yard which was kinda cool.

I'm not quite sure what he's doing with an elephant but it was pretty big. We also got chased by a dog. That was a bit scary but I outran it (I was surprised how quickly I accelerated). We had dinner with a wonderful family who is a part member family. The husband is reading the Book of Mormon and is really nice. He's a teacher who taught math and computers. We had a good chat about a variety of things: computers, telescopes, and most importantly the Book of Mormon. It might take a while but he's on the right track. The food was really good as well. German noodles called spaetzle or something, Swedish meatballs the size of my fist (for the record I have a large fist), and cheesecake brownies (with whipped cream and cherries). We biked out a ways and visited M. The Elders have been working with him. He's a great guy and we invited him to be baptized. He's not sure yet so we talked about reading the Book of Mormon. He made the comment, "Maybe I should read it everyday. Just take an hour every night before bed and read it". I was very impressed. He gave us a ride home which was really nice as it was dark and the apartment was a long ways away. The Crawfordville apartment is really nice and I enjoyed the trade-off. Elder T is a great missionary and works very hard to follow the Spirit. His main focus and desire to serve and help people. Usually on trade-offs I like to ask people about their family and what they like to do to get to know them better. Most of our conversation was focused on missionary topics.

Wednesday we traded back and Elder B came to pick me up in Crawfordville. We had a great lesson with C. She's doing great! We taught her about the restoration and she just understands everything and really just gets it! She's a wonderful lady and really enjoys our visits. We mowed Sister B's lawn which was fun.

We had a few other good lessons particularly with R and R. We also had some disappointments as many things fell through this week. I'm just going to keep going.

I'm out of time but I love you all!

Many people are "happy if..." The Savior's Atonement allows for all our losses to be made up. So therefore, life is even. When we trust in the Savior we are "happy even if...".

I love and miss you.
Elder Matthew Carlson

The Hardest Fun You'll Ever Have

The mission truly is the hardest fun you'll ever have. It's been a little bit of harder week but I had a pretty good time. I realize that I need to be more loose and have fun while still being obedient and a disciple of Jesus Christ. A lot happened this week- I'll try and cover the highlights.

Monday was pretty fun. We went to Valdosta to Dr. Thacker's. We had to wait for a while in the office but we got through. We played tennis with J and A which was really fun but we were all pretty bad at tennis. There were many, many tennis balls mercilessly catapulted over the fence (it wasn't very high which didn't help). But I had a great time. The R's had us over for dinner which was, as usual, delicious. R and R were going to come but they weren't able to make it which was sad. =(

Tuesday we drove to Tallahassee for Zone Training. We swung through Perry to grab Elder Y and Elder L. It was fun but it was a long car ride. The zone leaders taught about charity which was really instructive and enlightening. I really need to work on my charity. I then was dropped off in Perry with Elder L. We had a great time and had a wonderful dinner appointment which was really good. They made double-decker tacos and enchiladas which were actually really good. Elder L and I had a really good time.

Wednesday we had a FANTASTIC lesson with C. Elder B came along and it turned out really good. She's very traditional polish Catholic but she's reading the Book of Mormon and can remember and understand what she reads. We taught the plan of salvation and she understood everything. We then started to talk about baptism and how families are forever. She's praying and asking if she needs to be re-baptized so I'm very optimistic. I can see her slowly moving into the light. She's happier and she is liking the Book of Mormon more and more. She gets more and more out of our visits. She's a wonderful lady. We came home, changed, and mowed Sister B's lawn which was kinda fun even if I did get a bit burnt. I did the back lawn again and Elder F did the front but he came and helped me finish the back. We got to go to KFC (I know you don't like KFC mom). I had never really been except a few times so I was kinda curious. It was okay but not as good as Pizza Hut which is where we usually go with Sister P but the buffet was already over so we went to KFC instead (it was right next door). Their peach cobbler was pretty good and I enjoyed large quantities of mashed potatoes but overall I didn't like it as much and I felt kinda weird afterwards. Missionary coordination and dinner concluded the night.

Thursday was mostly taken up by weekly planning. We were able to see Brother W and his two grandson who we taught about God and how we can pray and what He's done for us. They don't have much religious background and they're very rowdy so it's hard to teach them. It was a good lesson. We grabbed M and his truck and ran out to Sister T's and got her couch (she had a extra but very nice couch which she gave to us). It's really nice and after some difficulty getting it all in the back of his small truck, we all crammed in and unloaded. Elder F just loves the recliner. He spends a lot of time in that chair.

Friday we tore down vines at the tennis courts and dropped off the polish Book of Mormon for C's husband (his English isn't very good). We had a good lesson with R and J during which we explained the plan of salvation. Of the two, J is much more interested. R was in and out and had to take care of some business. They're an awesome family but just very, very busy. We drove down to Perry and spent the night in the other Elder's apartment (we had permission). We had a whole war with mormon.org cards (Elder F discovered a way to propel them at high velocity with a rubber band) during dinner which was kinda fun.

We woke up early Saturday (6:00 AM), showered, and drove to Madison with the Perry Elders because Saturday was "Down Home Days". It was a bit like da Vinci days in Corvallis but not nearly as big and they didn't have an concerts or kinetic sculptures. The branch provided us with a booth to talk to people. We set things up with tables, lots of supplies, and a canopy. The Perry Elders came to help us cover more ground. We were right in the middle of the food section and I got some pretty good kettle corn and smelled funnel cakes for most of the day but I resisted. We talked to many people and gave away many copies of "The Family: A Proclamation to the World". I was able to talk to some good people with some potential- one in particular stands out. I gave her a copy of the Book of Mormon and she seemed pretty interested. She's getting shipped out to Africa pretty soon unfortunately (she's in the Navy) but I told her about mormon.org and how she can contact the missionaries wherever she goes. It was a very natural conversation and I really enjoyed it. We took the Perry Elders back to their apartment and got back to Madison in time to have some dinner and visit R and R. We had a very good lesson with them about what happens after we die. We covered the spirit world and the three degrees of glory and they were able to get a good grasp on it. They asked if I knew anything about computers as someone gave them one but they didn't know how to connect it. I connected it together and turned it on. It was funny. R was pretty excited- he talked about getting a new "rat" for it and everything (a new mouse). They're progressing really well.

Sunday was a pretty good day and I met someone I had never expected to see again. M, the homeless man in Pensacola came. He was wondering if he could come in even though he wasn't dressed well. We brought him inside and the branch did a great job of being friendly to him. He stayed for all 3 hours. Brother W came too which was great! He started coming because of his grandsons and comes when they come but this time he came without them as they were sick. It was awesome to see him. =) We had some good visits but we ran out of people quickly. We hit a wall and were thinking for a bit when we finally decided to go see Mr. M. We had a really good talk with him. He's very nice and has some interesting views on life. We asked him our inspired question: "What is the purpose of life?" He thought for a moment and said "I've never been asked that before... I don't know". He doesn't believe in life after death which makes having an answer difficult. We answered his question and it was a neat moment.

This week was hard but good. I love and miss you all!

Sorry I forgot my backpack in the car so no pictures today. =(

Charity never fails. There are many who fail but not due to a lack of faith- but of a lack of charity.

Elder Matthew Carlson

[Matthew and his companion were written up in the local newspaper this past week. You can read it here.]

What e'er thou art, act well thy part

Well it's been a little bit of a slower week but it's been a pretty good week. First things first:

I really do love and miss you all though. =)

Monday I got significant hair reduction surgery. I went to Elder B as we couldn't find a good hair cutting place in town. Elder B offered to do it for free so I accepted. I just wanted a trim but I sat down in the chair. I knew it was going to be a little rough when he started cutting without asking me how much I wanted to keep. It was a much needed haircut though. Sister B even gave me some delicious cheddar broccoli soup which was really nice. We did the usual shopping, cleaning, and I got a bit done.

Tuesday district meeting went pretty good. I thought it was the best one yet. I tried to make it as powerful, testimony filled as possible while still giving people a chance to answer questions and stay relevant to what they try to do. We did a role play at the end that was kinda funny even though I wasn't intended to be. It was specifically for P who has some trouble utilizing member present lessons. We as missionaries are told repeatedly that members at lessons are really important. Their problem is that members want to come but the members take over and go off on weird tangents. Elder Y pretended to be one of their members and Elder L and I role played preparing a member for the lesson. It was going good until we got to the lesson part of the role play. Elder Y did a great job role playing- perhaps too good of a job. He would tell me to explain things better and would say things like "He doesn't understand, explain it again". It was just an interesting role play. We got back to Madison and had lunch. Anyway, we did some biking that day which was nice but it wore me out pretty good. The sad part was our appointments fell through so we biked back. I decided to do some McDonald's as we had got some coupons in the mail. I got a frozen cherry Slurpee type thing which they were all out of. The cashier was really nice and gave me an upgrade to a smoothie. I had a pineapple one which was pretty good.

Wednesday we did much service. It wore me out pretty good. Our next door neighbor is sister B- very sweet lady. Missionaries have been cutting her lawn for years (it's not that big). She even has two lawn mowers- one for me and one for Elder F. I took the back yard and it looked really nice when we were finally done. We showered and had a quick lunch. We grabbed Brother B (also a really cool member) and went to G's. She wasn't feeling well but we talked to her husband mostly about stuff. Brother B really helped since he knows many of the people here in Madison. We visited a few more people and dropped off Brother B. We mowed Brother D's back yard for him (it was about my knee high or taller) and luckily it only took about 15-20 minutes. We had a short meeting with Elder B and discussed some upcoming events and how we were going to coordinate that. It was surprisingly effective. We were able to play some basketball with the youth as we had about 20 minutes till our next appointment and we couldn't think of any one to see in that short of a time (Elder F really really enjoys spending time with the youth). The hoop was only 7 or 8 feet tall so I was kinda cheap and dunked it a few times. The only problem was my shirt just kept coming un-tucked. It was still pretty fun and the youth did a great job of making it fun and helping everyone to get a chance to have the ball. We had a good lesson with R and R. Mostly about the purpose of life and the Word of Wisdom. They're doing great and already had most of the answers. We just needed to help them put the pieces together. R is so funny. We had come just come in and we were talking before we had the lesson and somehow we got on our lives and R began to guess how out lives would turn out. Then he read his palm to figure out how long we would each live. Turns out I'm going to live to 90 something. =)

Thursday we began by going to visit someone who is available really only on Thursday mornings- right during weekly planning. We decided to give her one more chance (she wasn't there the last few times) and she was there. She got called in to go help someone and asked us to come back. We were headed back to the apartment for lunch and weekly planning when we got a call from Elder B informing us they needed our help moving one of the families they've been working with. There would also be pizza involved. We got into service clothes and we drove out to Lee to help out the T's. On the way, I saw a lawn mower at the gas station which was kinda funny.

They were very nice and we helped clean up their new house in preparation for them to move in. We had Hungry Howie's pizza (it's like Little Caesars sort of but tastes better, has different types of flavored crust, and it slightly more expensive- $6 instead of $5). We did a lot of other stuff and visited more people.

Friday we finished Weekly Planning. During which Elder F saw a gnat on the window. He smacked it with his preach my gospel and the whole window broke. It was old 60's single pan) but it was still very surprising. We taped it up pretty good though.

We had another lesson with R and R. It was on the Atonement and was one of the most powerful we've ever had with them. Elder F said he even had tears in his eyes. They were both very tired though. It still went pretty good.

Saturday began different. Usually for exercise I jog in place while Elder F often stretches. We got out and ran! It felt pretty good.

Sunday was Fast Sunday and there were some wonderful testimony's. The best part was having R and R there. We also got J C there! He's a man in an assisted living facility. He hasn't been to church since he was about 14 (he's 60 something) but he had a stroke about a year ago and became much more open to missionaries and the church. He's on a good path and it's really cool to see how he's a little happier every time we go over there. He wanted to come to church so we told him we'd do our best. After some complications with the rest home, we checked him out. The branch president and Elder B went with us to help him out of his wheelchair (he really can't move all that well) and into the back of the B's car. We figured we'd take him home after Sacrament but he wanted to stay for all three hours. It was really cool to have him there. =)

How grateful I am that the Spirit leads this work.

I love and miss you all.

Elder Matthew Carlson