Week 25

Well this week was a pretty ok one! Nothing spectacular happened but we are continuing to work really hard! And the blessings will come from it I am sure! Last P-day was interesting. Since we got to go to the temple last week we had a short P-day. Not enough time to get to everything we needed to do. But this week went by really fast so that is nice! Everything seems to be going really fast. We had a mega meal last week at the Segrest's. Pizza and wings and potato skins. All homemade and amazingly delicious. We had a really good day last week where everything that we planned for actually happened. That doesn't happen much in missionary life but we taught all the lessons we wanted to and had a great day. I went on exchanges last week with the spanish elders. I hung out in Tome with Elder Valladolid. We battled some rainy weather but had a pretty good day overall. I love going on exchanges and learning as much as I can. We went to a baptism last week. I love baptisms so much. There is just a special spirit that is there that inspires us to work and be servants of the Lord. It is crazy to me to think that we are in November already. Time is really flying by out here. That is pretty much our week! Transfers is next week so we shall see what happens. Emails will be one Monday! Love you all!

Quotes of the Week:

"No good thing comes without work."

"If you are doing something good, Satan will drop a refrigerator in your driveway to stop you."

Spiritual Experience of the Week

So yesterday morning I finished the Book of Mormon for the 3rd time. And all day yesterday I have a special spirit with me. I felt so happy and motivated to work and I loved it all. I know that is because the Book of Mormon is true and that through reading it we can become happy in this life. It truly is the word of God that we can learn from. I love it so much.

Miracle of the Week:

We went by one of our investigators yesterday who we haven't seen in a while. While we were there his wife sat down with us and participated in the lesson and seemed to enjoy it. It was a miracle because we really have been struggling for new investigators! It was awesome!

Pic: Big paw print when I was on exchanges.

Elder Carruth  

Week 24

Almost a quarter of the way through the mission! Hard to believe huh. Only have to read about 75 more emails from me! Lucky ducks. Anyways this week was a pretty quick one. It was all a blur I don't really remember a lot of it. That is why I keep a journal. We got new housing inspectors this week. Retired military people. Lets just say that when my bed wasn't 100% smooth after I made it she told me the Savior would be ashamed to live there. This will be interesting over the next few months. It is good though it will help us keep a clean apartment and I like a clean apartment. Last week I decided to buy a jacket since the weather is colder now. Well lets just say good thing I did because later that day we tracted in the pouring rain for about 2 hours. People have a lot more sympathy when you come to see them soaking wet. But still no one wanted our message. I was glad I had a coat though. We were able to see G last week! Elder Steffensen and I found him and haven't been able to see him at all. Finally we caught him and he really is open to hearing our message. He knows that the end is near and wants to explore his options. We are meeting with him tomorrow as well. Hopefully things go well. We had exchanges last week too! I got to go with a Zone Leader up to ABQ and pretend to know Spanish. It was a lot of fun though and I learned a lot from Elder Edwards. The highlight of the week though for sure was going to the temple yesterday. We get to go every 6 months so it is a special treat. The spirit in the temple is amazing and peaceful. I encourage everyone who can to go to the temple as much as time permits. The blessings there will strengthen your weaknesses. It truly is a house of the Lord. That was my week! Pretty quick one this week. Love you all!!

Quotes of the Week:

"Forgiveness is too precious a pearl to be cast at the feet of the unforgiving."

"Grudges only divide."

"Christ will never forget those he suffered for."

"Charity without action is dead."

Spiritual Experience of the Week:

While I was on exchanges we were teaching a lesson in a members home. The member spoke both English and Spanish and would occasionally translate things for me so I would feel included in the lessons. 95% of the lessons went in one ear and out the other because I can't speak Spanish. However, there was one story that I remember. The member was telling a story about his grandma. All of it was in Spanish. About halfway through the story I realized that I was understanding the whole story. After the lesson I retold the story to my companion and he said "I didn't know that much Spanish until 6 months into my mission." I had the gift of the interpretation of tongues and it was amazing. It was the coolest thing I have ever experienced on my mission. 

Miracle of the Week:

Our investigator J was going to get baptized this Saturday. Unfortunately his parents are not supportive and he is a minor so he has to get consent. We his mom was talking to one of her coworkers about how is J goes to church when they all go out of town that she will know he is really devoted and not just going through a phase. How do I know this? Well his moms coworker is in the stake presidency. So we are really excited for this miracle to unfold of the next few weeks.

Pic: Me and elder Bennett outside the temple

Love you all!!

Elder Carruth

Week 23

I think Elder Carruth forgot it rains here....he sent several rain pics this time.

Hello everyone from way far away! This was a great week here in Belen. We are finally seeing the blessings that come from diligent hard work and faith. Last P-Day was a blast. After emailing we met up with the rest of the district and the sisters planned a bunch of awesomely hilarious games to play. It was so relaxing and the perfect way to recharge for the week. Eventually we had to turn back into missionaries though. We rode our bikes a lots last week and my legs and butt are finally used to it. We have been riding in the mornings around the parks and places like that trying to find people out to talk to. We have been fairly successful with that and we have seen blessings come from it. We dropped another investigator this week. He didn't want the gospel he just wanted friends. He is a really nice guy though. We met with C this week and had a throw down lesson with him. We have been trying to discover why he won't come to church at all and we finally found one of his concerns. My companion and I bore testimonies of the restoration of the priesthood to him and by the end of the lesson he committed to really pondering and praying to know if these things are true. The spirit softened his heart in that lesson and it was amazing to see that. Our other investigator Cr made us a deep fried turkey this week! It was delicious and I got to learn how to butcher a turkey since my companion didn't want to. It was a good life experience. I went on exchanges with the Valencia Elders on Friday. I went to Valencia with Elder Kirkham. He is an awesome Elder who is very diligent and persistent. I learned a lot from him and it was a really fun day. At dinner that day we were with a member who knew someone I knew from WA! It was so crazy and such a small world. It made me happy. We got a new investigator on Saturday named B. He was a referral from the Tome Elders and seems fairly interested in the message we share. It was nice to finally have someone new to teach and visit. It was a tender mercy from the Lord. We are having a baptism on Halloween. Jacob decided to move his date up and he really wants to get baptized! It is awesome to see the spirit testify to him. Yesterday we had a cool miracle. We walked to a members house about 2 miles away from our apartment. On the walk back the clouds rolled in. We ran to a bus stop and the second we got there the heavens opened and we got 1/2 an inch of rain in 10 minutes. And hail too. Big hail. It was a miracle that we made it to the bus stop before it rained. The Lord was looking out for us for sure. Anyway that was my week! I love you all!

Quotes of the Week:

"It is better to be trusted than loved."

"Trials either open your heart or close it."

"We are called to share the gospel not to debate it."

Spiritual Experience of the Week:

The lesson with C was awesome. The spirit was guiding myself and my companion to say exactly what he needed to hear. He felt the spirit for sure and is committed to finding the truth.

Miracle of the Week:

The sisters had a baptism last week and J skipped his lunch to come to it. Afterwards he told us that he got his answer and that he didn't want to wait to be baptized. It was a miracle and a blessing for the hard work we have been doing this transfer.

Pic: New Mexico has no drainage. After the rain the street was flooded. 

Love you all!!

Elder Carruth 

Week 22

Hello amazingly awesome people who read my emails! Or at least look at it before you delete it! I hope all of you had a great week. This week for us was another faith tester. We still are struggling to find people to teach and it makes for some very long days and discouraged Elders. We have high hopes for the upcoming week though. Last P-day I won a game of slaughterball against the whole zone. That was awesome! I don't usually win. My arm is pretty tore up though. Last Wednesday our bishop invited us and the Spanish Elders over for dinner and told us to wear our service clothes. We didn't know what we were getting in to but turns out we were unloading a hot tub. A BIG Hot tub. We had 8 people there and we had to pick it up off the trailer and then carry it to the other side of the house. It was tough and only minor injuries occurred. It was worth the pizza for dinner though. We knocked on a ton of doors last week since we have no people to teach. We talked to all kinds of people. Some are nice and some aren't so inviting. But it is what has to be done to find people. We are hopeful for this week to be more successful. We have some good goals and plans to make this week awesome. Last Friday was a great day. We had Zone Conference!! It was awesome!!! First off we had to drive 45 minutes to get there and one of our members told us that traffic would be terrible since it was the last day of the balloon festival. So we rallied the district and left and hour earlier than normal. After not hitting any traffic my district was all at the building an hour early! So we went and partied at McDonald's for an hour. Zone conference was all about planning and making sure we are preparing for the battle we face everyday. It was just what we needed to here. Halfway through the conference they do a 5 minute role play where they call up a random companionship and make them role play something for 5 minutes in front of 3 zones, about 75 people. Well guess who got called up?! Yup that's right! The Belen Elders. When the AP chose us I looked up at him and said "Well we used to be friends." That got everyone to laugh so they were all on our side after that. Those 5 minutes were really like 5 hours but we got a lot of compliments and even President said we did great. So it all worked out. We all walked away from Zone Conference with a new motivation to do the Lord's work. On Sunday we met with one of our newest investigators who was introduce to us by a member of our ward. His name is Jacob. After teaching the Restoration he accept a baptismal date of November 7th! We are so excited for him! He loved coming to church and feels that this is right. Yesterday we got to put Zone Conference in to action as we had weekly planning. We were really diligent and immediately saw blessings. We have a lot of hope for this week. Love you all!!

Quotes of the Week:

"Spirituality and covenants are not stagnate." 

"Your eyes only show your limitations."

"Most people get ahead in the time others waste."

Spiritual Experience of the Week:

We were in a lesson with one of our progressing investigators. He doesn't come to church though and we were trying to find out why. Right when we asked him the spirit prompted me as to why he was hesitant. I talked with my companion right after and he agreed. Since the spirit told me that, we can now make plans to help him overcome that obstacle. It was awesome.

Miracle of the Week:

A few weeks ago we got a referral from the mission office. We tried to contact them but couldn't find his house. Yesterday we got a text from a member who said they wanted us to come over and teach that referral! It was so awesome and a huge tender mercy.

Pic: Zone conference. This is the Los Lunas Zone.

I love you all!!

Elder Carruth 

Week 21

Not sure where the glasses came from.....

Hello from overcast Belen!! That is right it is overcast and glorious out here. In the 70s for a few days. Proof that the Lord loves us. The work has been picking up a little bit this last week. Week 1 of a transfer is always the longest and hardest to get through. We are still trying really hard to get more people to teach. We are struggling and having a hard time not getting discouraged. But we keep trying to be obedient and diligent. We have 3 new missionaries in the district this transfer. I have met them all and they are all awesome! I am excited to serve with them for the next 6 weeks. One of our really progressing investigators dropped us this week. It was kind of heartbreaking and we really had to fight the discouragement. But we are still optimistic! We know that there are great things to be done here in Belen and we are going to continue to work hard! Last Wednesday we were out riding out bikes and we didn't have any success. When we got back home we sat down and talked about why things felt off and we weren't having any success. We decided that we became complacent and content with where we were and we were getting lazy. That lit a fire under me because I refuse to work anything short of my hardest out here. We immediately made a plan to become more effective and efficient. The blessings poured out of heaven and we felt the approval of our Heavenly Father. We received 2 referrals later that day. Hopefully we can continue to work hard and find people to teach. It was nice to see October come. The weather has been perfect and I love that before this month ends I will get to go to the temple. I have missed the spirit that is there and I am so excited to go back! That is the place to be. I had a cool experience this week. We were knocking on doors and on one a man came outside. He told us that he was a preacher from another church in the area. As soon as I introduced us he began to grill me with questions about Jesus Christ. Question after question trying to either find something to argue with or find me crossing myself. Unfortunately for him, I answered every single question as fast as he could ask them. The spirit really helped me through this one. By the end he nodded his head and shook our hands. The spirit confounded him and he agreed with what we were there to teach. It was a cool experience. General Conference this week was simply amazing. I loved all of it so much. I don't think I have appreciated conference as much as I do as a missionary. It is a spiritual boost and makes us all want to baptize the world! I loved Elder Holland's talk. It was very bold and I love that. I also loved Uchtdorf's talk Saturday morning. All of conference was amazing and most of my quotes this week are from it. That's about all I have for the week! Love you all!!

Quotes of the Week:
"Involve the Lord in everything."
"Goals reflect your desires."
"Desire is measured by action."
"Don't complicate the simplicity of the Gospel."
"Living the gospel doesn't need to be complicated."
"The Holy Ghost gives customized counsel."
"Your direction is far more important than your speed."
"Self control gets stronger as you use it."
"We don't marry perfection, we marry potential."
"Reach up, not across."
"There is a difference between hearing and understanding."
"The future of your faith is not by chance, but by choice."
"Faith does not begin at birth or end at death."
"Commandments are not stumbling blocks to happiness."
"Faith and doubt cannot exist at the same time."
"If you quit now, someone else will have to painfully learn what you already know."

Spiritual Experience of the Week:

Conference for sure. It was just a pure outpouring of the spirit as the Prophet and the Apostles gave us such amazing counsel. The spirit testified of their callings and their messages. I loved conference so much.

Miracle of the Week:
We were knocking on doors and we came to one where this lady came out saying "I have been praying all day for someone to come help me." She needed help taking her spare tire out of her car so she could recover some makeup that fell. She was so excited to see us. We talked to her about the Book of Mormon and the Gospel for a while and left her with the invitation to read. She has a lot of potential.

love you all,

Elder Carruth

Week 20

Already week 20 can you believe it? Crazy that I am already into my 4th transfer and by the end of it I will be at my 6 month mark on my mission. It goes by way too fast out here. This week was a pretty stressful one. Which goes great with the last like 3 weeks so its keeping consistent. So last week we had a crazy sketchy experience. We were riding bikes and came up to this guy who was covered in blood and all scratched up. He yelled at us to call the police and so we did. Just up the street were some angry gang members who didn't look to happy that we were there. So we decided not to hang around. We went back a few minutes later and there were 3 cop cars and an ambulance. New Mexico is just full of awesome surprises. Part of main street was closed off this week too with caution tape and a lot of police cars. Don't know what happened but it didn't look too inviting. Anyway back to mission stories. I got to interview someone for baptism this week! It was awesome! And he passed and I also got to attend his baptism! It was a very spiritual experience and I loved being there. All of our main investigators are still moving forward one step at a time. Hopefully we will have some new investigators this week. I am not getting transferred and neither is my comp. 6 more weeks in Belen and I am excited!! Anyway short email I am out of time. love you all!!

Quotes of the Week:

"Are you giving least to those that matter most?"

"Have the faith to be brought."

"we don't choose when God gives us revelation."

"Let Heavenly Father make today better than yesterday."

"Our actions are evidence of our beliefs."

"Choose to believe not to doubt."

Spiritual Experience of the Week:

The spirit at the baptism was amazing. So peaceful and calming. I love baptisms so much.

Miracle of the Week:

We have been really needing new investigators. Yesterday we got a call from a member to come teach someone and he is awesome!! It was a blessing from the Lord!!

Love you all!!

Elder Carruth 

Week 19

When Elder Carruth gets sick...the garbage grows very fast.

Hello from Belen! RAINY BELEN! It was such a blessing to get some rain yesterday. My companion and I went for a bike ride in it since we are both from Washington. The weather here is supposed to be much cooler this week and I am excited for that. I don't like how it is dark when we wake up now though haha not used to that at all. Anyway this week was a pretty tough one for us. A lot of our appointments fell through and we struggled to find people to teach. We worked really hard though and the blessings will come this week. I am confident. It is already the last week of the transfer now! Week 6! It goes by so fast it is crazy. We will find out this Saturday who is getting transferred and who is not. That means P-day is Monday next week. Everyone thinks I will be getting transferred and I am starting to believe them. I don't want to ever leave Belen. I love the people here and the ward is amazing. It will be hard to say goodbye. Hopefully that won't have to happen in a week haha my companion and I have been spending a lot more time on our bikes. I lost 4 pounds in the first 4 days of having them haha I will be skinny in no time! We get to talk to so many people when we are on bikes and it makes me feel more like a true missionary haha. We had a cool experience this week. One of the members in our bishopric invited us over to meet and teach one of his friends from work. It was just a short overview of the Restoration and the Book of Mormon but it was powerful and I felt so trusted by our ward member. It was a cool experience and I hope we get to meet with them again soon. That was pretty much it this week! It was pretty tough and slow so not much to report on. I love you all and hope you all have the best week this week!!

Quotes of the Week:

"Increased vision brings increased motivation."

"How does your attitude effect how you look at the commandments?"

"Sometimes just passing the test isn't enough."

"If you have time for golf you have time for Christ."

"The most important commandment is the one you struggle with."

"Humility is the fountain of all virtues."

Spiritual Experience of the Week:

We had a lesson with P last week where he told us that he does not intend to join the church. Right when he said that I got a strong spiritual prompting to not stop teaching him and that he needed the gospel. Right when we left the appointment I asked my companion what he thought and he got the same prompting that I did! It was so cool and I love that we have unity in our companionship. I am so happy that the spirit testified so strongly to both of us. 

Miracle of the Week:

We were knocking on doors one evening decided to try one more. When the lady opened the door she smiled really big and came outside. Usually this means people are going to argue or bash with us so we got prepared. That didn't happen though! She said she knew about the Book of Mormon and that she was going to Salt Lake in a couple days! She asked us what to look at at temple square and how to spend her time! It was so awesome. And the best part was she invited us to come back to talk to her next week. It was a tender mercy from the Lord.

I love you all!!!

Elder Carruth