BIGGEST NEWS OF ALL!!!
guess what!! we had a baptism on Sunday. i know, i know..."sis cartwright, you serve in a visitors' center. you don't have baptisms." yeah, that's what YOU think! :) so this amazing 68-yr old man named victor moved to nauvoo to work at a campground for the summer. he ran into some girls from the pageant cast who invited him to come see the show. he came that night and was so touched and moved by the message and then and there felt the spiritual confirmation that the teachings in the pageant were true. his wife passed away in march adn he hasn't been the same since. but after seeing the pageant and learning that he could be married to her for eternity and how much Heavenly Father wants us all to return to Him it all started to make sense. He came to the VC the next day and talked to one of the sisters here for over an hour. He took a Book of Mormon home and started reading all he could. He met with the missionaries about 2 hours/day for several days. The dad of the girls who met him initially came and picked him up for church adn the fam would join him for the discussions. A week and a half later he was baptized. J J What? I know. He’s an amazing man. I met him at Carthage last week and walked away just wanting to write down 100 inspiring things that he said. He’s been in AA for 27 yrs and that has prepared him spiritually a ton and more than anything he was just ready. The missionaries had to do very little—other than teach him as fast as they could handle cause he was just soaking it all in. He realized it was an important decision and didn’t take it lightly at all. Everything just timed out so perfectly. He kept saying that if he died before he was able to be baptized that we had to make sure someone did it for him. J He also called up his daughter and son and told them he’d found what he’d been searching for and that they’d better both get out here quick so that they could find it too. J They both flew in for the baptism and we’ll see what happens. But he’s the most incredible man. The appreciation he expressed at Carthage for the prophet Joseph Smith was so cool because I just don’t always think of it the same way. It’s all just so fresh for him that it was cool for him to talk about how because of what Joseph went through, he was able to know what he knows now. He says, “and it all happened here in Nauvoo…” meaning his miracle but it’s so cool to think of all the miracles here past, present, and future. He also told me that we don’t need to worry because the gospel isn’t a hard “package to sell.” That you get infinitely more than you put in so everyone should want it. Well yes, everyone SHOULD want it. J The key is to find who will listen and open their hearts. Victor’s been such a blessing and strength to all the missionaries and pageant cast out here. Some of the pageant members changed their flights home so they could be here for the baptism. It was so special. I loved it!! What an amazing thing for everyone involved.
ANOTHER NAUVOO FRIEND
There’s also a boy out here named Jacob. He’s 16 and his parents won’t let him get baptized. They think his faith in the church is just a phase. So he comes to the VC and stuff as often as possible. He loves the shows and helps out the performances. He gets to be in the pageant cast next week and he got to be set apart for it. It was so cool cause he listened so intently to his blessing and was so impressed at how directly it was for him when the man giving it to him barely knew him. The blessing he got assured him that everything would happen even if it was on the Lord’s time and he’s really taken comfort in that. Anyway, he’s been around all summer cause he lives in Nauvoo but I just thought I’d write about him as I was thinking about people who strengthen me. He’s such a powerhouse. He was wearing one of those semi-cheesey “future missionary” tags the other day with a sign taped under it that said “as soon as I’m baptized.” Love the kid!
THE END OF THE LETTUCE….ALMOST
So try as we might to get rid of all the lettuce we still ended up with a few bags in each fridge. And I have to say that every time one would get remotely rotten I was secretly happy. Like maybe I liked watching it suffer for all the drama it caused us. Really I think I was just relieved cause I could finally throw it away without feeling guilty. There’s still a bag a sister is using though cause “the lettuce on top is still good” and every time I open her fridge and see it I get chills of discomfort.
THE LANGUAGE BARRIER
So may I say that my comp’s hilarious? As Sis Faulkner put it “at first I thought it was just the accent but she really is just funny.” But the most delightful part is getting through the language barrier that comes up fairly often. For example, the other day I asked her if we had an ironing board and she said, “yeah, but I just used the bench.” Bench…? Like most houses we don’t have a bench so….I had to go around pointing at different pieces of furniture or describing things that she may have perceived as a bench (the couch? the backless loveseat in the lobby? no and no.) before we finally were able to get to the bottom of it. The kitchen counter! Good times! (Who irons on the counter anyway?) I’m loving it. I ask her a million questions a day about New Zealand. Hopefully she doesn’t think it’s creepy. Still trying to pick up on the accent. I think at least I’ll start calling my mom “Mum”…
SPEAKING OF ACCENTS…
Unfortunately, the accent I seem to be picking up the most is not from the Kiwi, not from the locals, but from the visitors. Ahhhh! Yeah, “would you like to take a tore of the jell?” I’ve TOTALLY busted out with some Utah speech. But I’m working on getting over that. Haha! But at least that accent that was so allusive to imitate is now coming to me. even if it is against my own will, “You becha….Take all the pitchers you fill like…”
CARTHAGE LIFE
So Sis. Thomas and I have decided to do a documentary on small-town Mid-West life. We’ve contemplated just leaving the mission life to do it since we’re already out here and all. As we’re walking around town we’ll be like, “yeah, for sure that guy’s gonna be in the documentary.” We’re fascinated by all the people out here. We walk to and from the jail everyday cause it’s just a couple blocks so that adds to the small-town feel. Fill. We live in an old mansion that was donated to the church and converted into 5 small apartments for the missionaries. Two senior couples live on the bottom and the sisters have one apt per companionship up top. But all our doors meet in the middle and we leave them open so it’s not too lonely. Anyway, it’s really neat. The first night we got there we were out on the balcony looking at the fireflies. So unreal. Love it! The jail is really neat to do tours. I was worried I’d get bored doing the same tour several times a day but it’s just such a neat place. Even though you say the same thing every tour there’s just such a powerful, special feeling there and since every group is different you say things in a different way and testify of different things just according to how you feel prompted. For those of you who don’t know why I’m at a jail every day….Carthage Jail is where the prophet Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum were martyred. Come take a tour and I’ll tell you all about it. It’s a really neat place because although there’s a somber feel to it and something very tragic happened there, it’s been able to become a place that everyone can visit and feel something undeniably special and have their own faith strengthened in our Savior and in the reality that Joseph Smith was a man called of God to restore the gospel on the earth.
Ok, hope you all enjoyed the extra long email to make up for last week. Love you all and thanks for the thoughts, prayers, letters, etc. You’re all in mine!And congratulations to everyone who’s having a baby who I didn’t know was pregnant.
p.s. sometimes people leave inspirational scriptures in their emails. i'm such a slacker. mosiah 4:9. just a good one to help you keep perspective.
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
So turns out Staci Spilsbury came and surprised me today so I don't have much time to write. :) We're on our way to the temple then to the pageant tonight. The pageant is so stinking cool. I know I've said that before. I only get to come up about every other night now that I'm in Carthage but it's cool. Plus it's funny cause we serve till the end so we end up going to bed at like midnight. Haha! I don't know why my mom thought I was going on a party mission... :)
It's so cool serving in Carthage. The feeling of the Spirit is just so strong there. It's amazing (sorry Dad, there we go again with that word...) to be able to tell people that the peaceful sweet spirit they feel is the Holy Ghost testifying of them truthfulness of what's being shared and of the gospel. And then people who are of our faith it's exciting to remind them that there are people waiting to feel that same thing who just need them to share what the restored gospel is.
I'm always explaining to people when they're asking what missions are and about what I do out here that the only reason I'm out here is because I have something so very close to my heart that I know to be the truth and I want to offer them the opportunity to find out for themselves. Our purpose as missionaries (and as member missionaries) in fact is to "invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end." What a cool full-time job I have! :)
Ok, all the silly stories will have to wait til next week. More on the lettuce and everything. Love you all.
-Sis C
PO Box 215
Nauvoo, IL 62354
It's so cool serving in Carthage. The feeling of the Spirit is just so strong there. It's amazing (sorry Dad, there we go again with that word...) to be able to tell people that the peaceful sweet spirit they feel is the Holy Ghost testifying of them truthfulness of what's being shared and of the gospel. And then people who are of our faith it's exciting to remind them that there are people waiting to feel that same thing who just need them to share what the restored gospel is.
I'm always explaining to people when they're asking what missions are and about what I do out here that the only reason I'm out here is because I have something so very close to my heart that I know to be the truth and I want to offer them the opportunity to find out for themselves. Our purpose as missionaries (and as member missionaries) in fact is to "invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end." What a cool full-time job I have! :)
Ok, all the silly stories will have to wait til next week. More on the lettuce and everything. Love you all.
-Sis C
PO Box 215
Nauvoo, IL 62354
Friday, July 13, 2007
LETTUCE EPIDEMIC
So we've had many tender souls bring us food to get through the crazy, busy pageant season. So much food that for a bit it was almost embarrasing. Then when we were already swamped with homemade goodness, a youth conference that was here had TONS of extra food and dropped it off. Most of it could be frozen or saved but they sent us like 100 lbs of lettuce!!! K, i can't really estimate lettuce poundage but it was amazing. The entire kitchen counter was stacked high with heads of romaine and at least of our fridges. What? So we ended up spending a good deal of our time the next two days trying to solve the dilemma of distributing or eating dozens upon dozens of bags of lettuce throughout Nauvoo. Yikers. AMAZING. Every time with thought it was all gone we'd open a fridge to get something and it'd just be a solid wall of lettuce. It's the little things that are the most entertaining!
LOW POINT
So missionaries do this thing called "backing" where one of them stands behind the car and waves the other person back as they're reversing. Nevermind my personal views on how the dangers of backing the car into your companion exceed the dangers of backing into a bush...we are to do this EVERY time the car is reversed. Sometimes I think the real reason for this rule is simply to teach us obedience and humility. But so I'm getting so good at backing that the other day Sis F and I were walking up to the car and I started waving it back to let the van know that the coast was clear. That's right, the unoccupied van. Eesh. I AM turning into a robot. :)
TRANSFERS
So Sis F and I had to part ways. Sniff! But we've actually ended up serving together yesterday and today in exchanges just by way of circumstance. But yeah, it was a good companionship. I'll miss her sleep talking and watching her do things and feeling like i'm watching myself. :) My comp is Sis Thomas. She actually served in temple square for 3 mths before Nauvoo. She's from New Zealand so i'm having fun asking her Qs abt New Zealand culture. She said she's still not used to the food out here but don't worry, she loves rice krispy treats. I'm hoping to only talk to her and no one else when we're together so i'll pick up her accent. You think?
WHO SAYS YOU CAN'T BIKE IN A SKIRT?!
So Sis F's email about this is probably lots more entertaining but i'll just give you the run-down. Let's start by explaining: 18 girls+all their possessions+4 vans+3 houses+2 diff cities all within a 2-3 hour breaks at various times and all while staying with at least one other sister= mass chaos. Awesome! It was adventure to say the least getting everyone moved. Plus pageant chaos. Oh yeah, and 100 heads of Romaine. Anyway, so there was much key-losing and then van-losing and long story short three of us resorted to riding our bikes from our house to the VC. It was amazing. Typically when you do this you wear an extra long skirt and you clip it in the middle so as not to expose yourself. But there was no time for extra precautions. haha! so we just hopped on the bikes and busted a move down the hill. I had to essentially stay standing on my bike so i'd be desent. it was amazing! the wind blowing, the cornfields, the tour buses of visitors. anyway, i think i made it down safe from what i could tell. but it was definately a different experience.
PAGEANT MAGIC
So the pageant cast is amazing. They're such fabulous missionaries. They're random families from across the US that pay their way out her and give up at least 2.5 weeks of their summer to come perform. The small children running around in their old-school overalls make my heart leap with joy. They had a presentation for the cast members and one of the sisters told us about it. They'd challenged the cast to work on doing small acts of service for their family while they were here. So one of the pageant directors noticed one of these small acts adn took a pic of it. It was a precious little bro and sis and the bro was too small to reach the water ftn so the sis got down on all fours and let him climb up and drink. The man that got the pic said the little boy drank forever cause he was evidently very thirsty and the little sis just stayed there and didn't complain or say anything. Then a few minutes later he was thirsty again and they were back out there for another long drink. Precious!!! These great little families. Then they talked about how our purpose as missionaries (and pageant members) is to help others come unto Christ and that since He is the living water we need to do all we can to help others partake. Such a cool example these little kids. And they just walk up to the ppl in the audience before adn after the pageant and visit with them and invite them to learn more or to do missionary work with their friends. So cool.
HIGH POINT
One of the coolest pageant experiences i've had so far was one of the nights i was talking to one of the stellar volunteers who drives 2 hours out here to help with traffic directing and be in the bugs all night and then gets home at like 2 in the morning. I was talking to him about missionary work and if there were any of his friends who'd been on his mind. He started talking about his long-time friend who was an atheist and told me about a series of miracles in their friendship and how amazing this friend was and he just started crying about it and took a few cards to put his friend's name down (and other friends he's been thinking about) to have missionaries visit them and share with them the peace and joy this man knows and feels every day. He walked away saying, "now you've got me all fired up..." It was the most amazing thing. This sweet man with a mosquito net over his head adn dead bugs stuck in his sweat. I hadn't done anything but stand there while he talked. :) It's so cool how the Spirit touches people while they're here, esp at the pageant (Drakes can testify to that :) ) and how the Lord allows us to take part in these miracles that are happening. It's so cool to watch.
WHICH LEADS INTO MORE OF THE MAIN POINT
Also, one of the main cast members was talking to me after the show and it came up that he joined the church when he was 28. So i asked him how he heard about the church and he started telling me his amazing tale which ended up having a lot to do with an experience he had just when he needed it at a visitors center. So cool! It's different in a VC b/c you never really see the "end result" but I just have to have faith that if I'm doing everything i know to do that lives are being touched and people are being brought to Christ every day. :) Love it! (Despite the frequent awkward encounters that may come up, but hey, when you have like 100 conversations a day they're just not all gonna be smooth.) But the Lord strengthens us. I've felt this so, so much out here since you really just need to rely on that. He wants this work to go forth and so it will. Sometimes we have to feel stupid, awkward, rejected, or scared in the process but He will strengthen is. This goes for missionary work and any righteous endevour. we're all on missions of some sort but the most important part of everyone's life is coming closer to our Savior adn helping others to do the same. Praying to know what you really believe in and helping others to find the answers they're looking for too.Something I highly recommend for anyone who has questions about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is visiting www.mormon.org. tons of questions answered there. It's awesome. I love this gospel adn i love being here. love you all. :)Alrighty, love you all. Peace out. :)Sis Cartwrightp.s.COMMUNICATIONI'd still love people to send me their addresses so i can touch base. There are some people I have letters for but i can't send (Sheena, Ash-face Banks, Pinkals) b/c i don't have addresses. The best way to get me your address is to write ME a letter. :) Ok, i know, easier said than done. But I love you all and i'd love to hear how you're doing. Thanks for anyone who has been able to find the time. :) You guys are great!
So we've had many tender souls bring us food to get through the crazy, busy pageant season. So much food that for a bit it was almost embarrasing. Then when we were already swamped with homemade goodness, a youth conference that was here had TONS of extra food and dropped it off. Most of it could be frozen or saved but they sent us like 100 lbs of lettuce!!! K, i can't really estimate lettuce poundage but it was amazing. The entire kitchen counter was stacked high with heads of romaine and at least of our fridges. What? So we ended up spending a good deal of our time the next two days trying to solve the dilemma of distributing or eating dozens upon dozens of bags of lettuce throughout Nauvoo. Yikers. AMAZING. Every time with thought it was all gone we'd open a fridge to get something and it'd just be a solid wall of lettuce. It's the little things that are the most entertaining!
LOW POINT
So missionaries do this thing called "backing" where one of them stands behind the car and waves the other person back as they're reversing. Nevermind my personal views on how the dangers of backing the car into your companion exceed the dangers of backing into a bush...we are to do this EVERY time the car is reversed. Sometimes I think the real reason for this rule is simply to teach us obedience and humility. But so I'm getting so good at backing that the other day Sis F and I were walking up to the car and I started waving it back to let the van know that the coast was clear. That's right, the unoccupied van. Eesh. I AM turning into a robot. :)
TRANSFERS
So Sis F and I had to part ways. Sniff! But we've actually ended up serving together yesterday and today in exchanges just by way of circumstance. But yeah, it was a good companionship. I'll miss her sleep talking and watching her do things and feeling like i'm watching myself. :) My comp is Sis Thomas. She actually served in temple square for 3 mths before Nauvoo. She's from New Zealand so i'm having fun asking her Qs abt New Zealand culture. She said she's still not used to the food out here but don't worry, she loves rice krispy treats. I'm hoping to only talk to her and no one else when we're together so i'll pick up her accent. You think?
WHO SAYS YOU CAN'T BIKE IN A SKIRT?!
So Sis F's email about this is probably lots more entertaining but i'll just give you the run-down. Let's start by explaining: 18 girls+all their possessions+4 vans+3 houses+2 diff cities all within a 2-3 hour breaks at various times and all while staying with at least one other sister= mass chaos. Awesome! It was adventure to say the least getting everyone moved. Plus pageant chaos. Oh yeah, and 100 heads of Romaine. Anyway, so there was much key-losing and then van-losing and long story short three of us resorted to riding our bikes from our house to the VC. It was amazing. Typically when you do this you wear an extra long skirt and you clip it in the middle so as not to expose yourself. But there was no time for extra precautions. haha! so we just hopped on the bikes and busted a move down the hill. I had to essentially stay standing on my bike so i'd be desent. it was amazing! the wind blowing, the cornfields, the tour buses of visitors. anyway, i think i made it down safe from what i could tell. but it was definately a different experience.
PAGEANT MAGIC
So the pageant cast is amazing. They're such fabulous missionaries. They're random families from across the US that pay their way out her and give up at least 2.5 weeks of their summer to come perform. The small children running around in their old-school overalls make my heart leap with joy. They had a presentation for the cast members and one of the sisters told us about it. They'd challenged the cast to work on doing small acts of service for their family while they were here. So one of the pageant directors noticed one of these small acts adn took a pic of it. It was a precious little bro and sis and the bro was too small to reach the water ftn so the sis got down on all fours and let him climb up and drink. The man that got the pic said the little boy drank forever cause he was evidently very thirsty and the little sis just stayed there and didn't complain or say anything. Then a few minutes later he was thirsty again and they were back out there for another long drink. Precious!!! These great little families. Then they talked about how our purpose as missionaries (and pageant members) is to help others come unto Christ and that since He is the living water we need to do all we can to help others partake. Such a cool example these little kids. And they just walk up to the ppl in the audience before adn after the pageant and visit with them and invite them to learn more or to do missionary work with their friends. So cool.
HIGH POINT
One of the coolest pageant experiences i've had so far was one of the nights i was talking to one of the stellar volunteers who drives 2 hours out here to help with traffic directing and be in the bugs all night and then gets home at like 2 in the morning. I was talking to him about missionary work and if there were any of his friends who'd been on his mind. He started talking about his long-time friend who was an atheist and told me about a series of miracles in their friendship and how amazing this friend was and he just started crying about it and took a few cards to put his friend's name down (and other friends he's been thinking about) to have missionaries visit them and share with them the peace and joy this man knows and feels every day. He walked away saying, "now you've got me all fired up..." It was the most amazing thing. This sweet man with a mosquito net over his head adn dead bugs stuck in his sweat. I hadn't done anything but stand there while he talked. :) It's so cool how the Spirit touches people while they're here, esp at the pageant (Drakes can testify to that :) ) and how the Lord allows us to take part in these miracles that are happening. It's so cool to watch.
WHICH LEADS INTO MORE OF THE MAIN POINT
Also, one of the main cast members was talking to me after the show and it came up that he joined the church when he was 28. So i asked him how he heard about the church and he started telling me his amazing tale which ended up having a lot to do with an experience he had just when he needed it at a visitors center. So cool! It's different in a VC b/c you never really see the "end result" but I just have to have faith that if I'm doing everything i know to do that lives are being touched and people are being brought to Christ every day. :) Love it! (Despite the frequent awkward encounters that may come up, but hey, when you have like 100 conversations a day they're just not all gonna be smooth.) But the Lord strengthens us. I've felt this so, so much out here since you really just need to rely on that. He wants this work to go forth and so it will. Sometimes we have to feel stupid, awkward, rejected, or scared in the process but He will strengthen is. This goes for missionary work and any righteous endevour. we're all on missions of some sort but the most important part of everyone's life is coming closer to our Savior adn helping others to do the same. Praying to know what you really believe in and helping others to find the answers they're looking for too.Something I highly recommend for anyone who has questions about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is visiting www.mormon.org. tons of questions answered there. It's awesome. I love this gospel adn i love being here. love you all. :)Alrighty, love you all. Peace out. :)Sis Cartwrightp.s.COMMUNICATIONI'd still love people to send me their addresses so i can touch base. There are some people I have letters for but i can't send (Sheena, Ash-face Banks, Pinkals) b/c i don't have addresses. The best way to get me your address is to write ME a letter. :) Ok, i know, easier said than done. But I love you all and i'd love to hear how you're doing. Thanks for anyone who has been able to find the time. :) You guys are great!
Friday, July 6, 2007
DRAKE-WING DUCK (what? K, ignore that….)
The Drakes are in town and came to see me. I was delighted that it happened to be on a day when I was sporting the period clothing so I could proudly show off the gingham (which Karalyn had to inform me is not in fact gingham. She would. But we decided the alliteration makes it cool enough that the misnomer is acceptable. Plus Sis Faulkner thinks I’m really cool for knowing what gingham is so I can’t let her down…) Anyway, it’ll be delightful to get to see them for the next couple of days. We’re on our way to lunch at their place right now. Precious!
DEAF PEOPLE EVERYWHERE :) :)
So this is cool. There’s a Deaf convention here this weekend and it’s been awesome! I gave 4 or 5 different signing tours yesterday. Wahoo! It was so fun and I got really pumped up. We’re interpreting for them tonight at the pageant. 80 of them. Yikes. But it’s cool cause last night we practiced for the dress rehearsal and it just so happened that one of the men there was the interpreting coordinator from UVSC and unbeknownst to us he watched us and took notes and then came and gave us tips afterwards. Such a cool blessing to have that much-needed help. He reminded us that we’re the messengers, not the message and that the pageant and the spirit there will speak for itself.
I SWEAR I’M A REAL PERSON
So I’m trying to keep myself in check to not develop too many robotic, insincere habits. Like really fake smiles or compliments. That can be hard when you interact with 100s of ppl everyday and you want to show them all that you think they’re rad. So I’ve definitely been unsuccessful to a point. I’ve developed this cute little half-wave, smile thing that I apparently do quite liberally and without discretion. I realized this yesterday when I went out to go for a run and did my little half-wave smile to the bunny on the lawn across the street. Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure the bunny appreciated it in a way… Eesh. Sis. South (my running buddy) was dying. But I felt a little better remembering how when Scott got off his mission we were walking the streets of High Country West and he said “hola” to a dog.
PAGEANT FUN, FUN, FUN
The pageant is here and I’m beginning to get why the sis missionaries from last year are all so pumped. It’s amazing! Not just the sheer work and talent that goes into it but the awesome spirit it brings. When we were practicing with the cast one day for interpreting they were starting the very first scene. They were all in the street clothes even but as soon as the music was going and they were all piling onto the stage I started to get all teary. What? It hadn’t even started. There’s just SUCH a strong spirit at the pageant. And it’s an awesome missionary tool. It teaches a lot about the restored gospel and it really motivates those who are of our faith to want to share it and those of other faiths often realize when they’re here that they felt something special and gain a desire to know more. Then we get to be there with open arms to help teach them more and offer to have missionaries deliver a soundtrack of the performance and a Book of Mormon to them and share a message. So cool! The Lord wants us to do missionary work and He’ll help give us the tools so we can invite the Spirit and it can touch people. It’s important to remember that as a full-time missionary my purpose behind EVERYTHING I do is to help bring people unto Christ. This is imperative because it’s only through Him that we can be saved. But not only have eternal salvation but also have comfort, strength, and healing in this life. All other aspects of the gospel, families, etc. are appendages to help get us there.
Ok, I’m gonna make this short. I love you all and I love hearing from you when you have time.
With lots and lots of love,
-Sis. Cartwright
p.s. being a missionary is rad. :)
The Drakes are in town and came to see me. I was delighted that it happened to be on a day when I was sporting the period clothing so I could proudly show off the gingham (which Karalyn had to inform me is not in fact gingham. She would. But we decided the alliteration makes it cool enough that the misnomer is acceptable. Plus Sis Faulkner thinks I’m really cool for knowing what gingham is so I can’t let her down…) Anyway, it’ll be delightful to get to see them for the next couple of days. We’re on our way to lunch at their place right now. Precious!
DEAF PEOPLE EVERYWHERE :) :)
So this is cool. There’s a Deaf convention here this weekend and it’s been awesome! I gave 4 or 5 different signing tours yesterday. Wahoo! It was so fun and I got really pumped up. We’re interpreting for them tonight at the pageant. 80 of them. Yikes. But it’s cool cause last night we practiced for the dress rehearsal and it just so happened that one of the men there was the interpreting coordinator from UVSC and unbeknownst to us he watched us and took notes and then came and gave us tips afterwards. Such a cool blessing to have that much-needed help. He reminded us that we’re the messengers, not the message and that the pageant and the spirit there will speak for itself.
I SWEAR I’M A REAL PERSON
So I’m trying to keep myself in check to not develop too many robotic, insincere habits. Like really fake smiles or compliments. That can be hard when you interact with 100s of ppl everyday and you want to show them all that you think they’re rad. So I’ve definitely been unsuccessful to a point. I’ve developed this cute little half-wave, smile thing that I apparently do quite liberally and without discretion. I realized this yesterday when I went out to go for a run and did my little half-wave smile to the bunny on the lawn across the street. Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure the bunny appreciated it in a way… Eesh. Sis. South (my running buddy) was dying. But I felt a little better remembering how when Scott got off his mission we were walking the streets of High Country West and he said “hola” to a dog.
PAGEANT FUN, FUN, FUN
The pageant is here and I’m beginning to get why the sis missionaries from last year are all so pumped. It’s amazing! Not just the sheer work and talent that goes into it but the awesome spirit it brings. When we were practicing with the cast one day for interpreting they were starting the very first scene. They were all in the street clothes even but as soon as the music was going and they were all piling onto the stage I started to get all teary. What? It hadn’t even started. There’s just SUCH a strong spirit at the pageant. And it’s an awesome missionary tool. It teaches a lot about the restored gospel and it really motivates those who are of our faith to want to share it and those of other faiths often realize when they’re here that they felt something special and gain a desire to know more. Then we get to be there with open arms to help teach them more and offer to have missionaries deliver a soundtrack of the performance and a Book of Mormon to them and share a message. So cool! The Lord wants us to do missionary work and He’ll help give us the tools so we can invite the Spirit and it can touch people. It’s important to remember that as a full-time missionary my purpose behind EVERYTHING I do is to help bring people unto Christ. This is imperative because it’s only through Him that we can be saved. But not only have eternal salvation but also have comfort, strength, and healing in this life. All other aspects of the gospel, families, etc. are appendages to help get us there.
Ok, I’m gonna make this short. I love you all and I love hearing from you when you have time.
With lots and lots of love,
-Sis. Cartwright
p.s. being a missionary is rad. :)
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