January 30, 2017 -- Let's Give This Door a "Shot"

So I came up with a new tracting approach this past week since we do that a lot. "Hi have you ever met a 7 footer before?" Most people say no and I introduce myself. It's a great ice breaker and makes it easy to transition into inviting them to hear our message.

The biggest news this week was the new changes they have made to the missionary schedule. They did a worldwide mission broadcast and announced the changes there. Basically the changes they made are now lunch is only 30 minutes, we can plan in the morning instead of the night if we want, and now we only have to study for 30 minutes on P-day. Nothing huge but just some minor adjustments.

So this past week Elder Turner walked up to this door when we were tracting. We heard this guy yelling at his dogs. I knocked on the doo,r the guy answered with one hand around his back, and I invited him to hear our message. He seemed a little on edge but declined hearing it. When we walked away, Elder Turner started freaking out and said he had a gun around his back. I started flipping out as well. I had no idea he had a gun from my angle. He must have been a part of some drug deal gone wrong or something. All is well though. I'm still alive and kicking and I know the Lord is protecting me.

Besides that, things have been pretty good in Liverpool. The weather hasn't been too bad but seems to be going down hill. The pic of me in a Captain America hoodie was when we were doing some services at a Thrifty Shopper. The picture of Elder Turner and I in the suits what when we decided to go for the GQ look.

The sky most definitely is not blue, the Church is true, and life is good.

 

Elder Carlile

 

Elder "GQ" Turner and I

Captain America at the Thrifty Shopper

View from my Liverpool Apartment

 

January 23, 2017 -- Another Week, Another Wonder

So I've been in Liverpool for a week and a half now and it's really only felt like 5 days. Before I know it, I'll be all ready to go home. Sometimes it seem like time is going too fast in the mission.

I really am liking Liverpool. One of the main reasons is that they have one of the only two Pandas in the missions. Did you hear that. PANDA EXPRESS!!!!! I've already gone two times and I'm just getting started.

The weather has been great for the past 3 days--45-50 degrees. That's really strange for the middle of winter in New York.

One cool experience Elder Turner and I had this past week was when we were going out trying some potential investigators (people that said the missionaries could come back and share their message) from past missionaries. We knocked on a man's door. It turned out that it was not the same person that was in the records but we offered to share out message anyway. He invited us in. His name is Sahar and he was super excited to hear our message. He said,"I've been wanting to come closer to Christ." Due to having an appointment in 2 minutes, we had to leave so we set up to come back in a couple of days. A few days later we went back and taught him the Restoration. He loved it and was eating it up the whole lesson. At the end we invited him to be baptized and he accepted. Right before Elder Turner was going to invite him, his one year old son Admarie let out the nastiest crap in his diaper I've ever heard come out of a baby. We all had a good laugh over it. After he accepted it, he then said, "It's funny you bring that up because my girlfriend and I were talking about getting baptized this morning." He's totally legit or "lit" as the kids are saying now days. He loves NBA basketball and unlike most people in upstate New York he actually let us teach him and didn't talk our ears off. I can't wait to keep teaching Sarah. It just goes to show you that the Lord will put people in your path if you are out doing his work.

The sky is blue, the Church is true, and life is good.

 

Have a great week, Elder Carlile

January 16, 2017 -- A Car I Actually Fit In!!

This week had been full of goodbyes, laughs, teaching, tracting, cold nights and all that usual missionary stuff. I'm doing great though. The new changes haven't been that bad.

It was really hard to say goodbye to Elder Crandall. I love that man and will ever be grateful for the transfer we spent together. My new Comp, Elder Turner, is awesome. We served around each other in Binghampton. We've been working hard but having fun while doing it. (For example--the fanny pack pic below)
 

I'm loving Liverpool!! It's just a suburb that is less than 5 minutes from Syracuse. It's really weird because there are a lot of nice neighborhoods unlike the rest of New York. It's a lot like Utah minus the mountains of course. We do a lot of tracting for our finding because not many people are walking out in the cold. I don't mind though, I'm in good company.

We are teaching some cool people. There is a lady named Jean. She's British and sincerely seeking the truth.  We also teach Alice, she speaks Spanish and very little English so I'm in trouble.

The ward is one of the bigger sized wards in the mission. There were about 100 members at church this past week. There are 6 missionaries in the ward--2 sets of elders and 1 set of sisters. It's just like my last area so not a huge adjustment there 

OK!! So for the first time in my life I am driving a car that I can fit my knees under the steering wheel. It's a 2015 Ford Escape. Not only can I fit in it but it's turbo charged too. Tiwi, the thing that monitors our driving, already gave me 2 aggressive drivings for accelerating to fast..... Man I love the sport mode on it.

Elder Turner and I are pretty busy this next week with Zone Conference, blitzing the AP's and having Elders blitz us. Blitzing is where a set of elders go to an area and work with the other elders there so there are 4 missionaries doing work instead of 2. It should be pretty fun.

The sky is blue, the Church is true, and life is good.

 

Love, Elder Carlile

 

 

Rocking the Fanny Packs with Elder Turner

 

Goodbye to Elder Crandall



 

 

January 9, 2017 -- Goodbye Elmira!

SO MUCH has happened this past week. . . transfer calls, ugly tie district meeting, and lots and lots of goodbyes. Things are going to be very different for me this time next week.  I'll start with the transfer news first.

I'm getting transferred to Liverpool!!  It's a suburb just north of Syracuse.  I'm going to be a Zone Leader over the Syracuse zone.  My companion is someone I know and have served around.  His name is Elder Turner.  He is from Idaho and has been out six weeks longer than me on the Lord's Mission.  He's a pretty good ball player.  I think we are going to be the best basketball duo companionship in the mission!!  I'm nervous, excited, but feel peace about the change at the same time.

I've been saying goodbye to a lot of people here in Elmira.  Six months is a long time to get to know people as a missionary.  The ward was super kind to me and everyone was wishing me well.

For my last district meeting here in Elmira, we did an "Ugly Tie" district meeting.  If you know anything about me and ties, it's that I don't like to wear ugly ones.  But I made the sacrifice and wore one.  It was a great time.  I'm thankful for the wonderful missionaries that I was able to serve around in this district.

We did tons of paperwork today because Elder Crandall got the cold I had last week and I didn't want him to get worse working out in the cold weather. Paperwork is not always the most interesting thing to do but now the area book is organized and Elder Crandall is ready to take over the area.  I'm really going to miss Elder Crandall.  I have gained one of my closest friends over the past six weeks and am grateful for the boost we were able to give each other. 

The sky is blue, the Church is true and life is good!

 

Elder Carlile

 

My Wonderful Elmira District

"Ugly Tie" District Meeting

 

January 2, 2017 -- Is It 2017 Already?

Elder Crandall and I weren't able to get out and work as much a we would have liked this week due to the fact that I was sick and then he was sick, not to mention all the other craziness in a missionary's life. Our investigators have been facing tons of opposition. Satan has really been working hard to halt the work but I will not be halted! Why? Because I have God on my side and light always overcomes darkness. Even through all the craziness, this week had it's great moments.

First off, Marie and her family took Elder Crandall and me to Mt Fuji. It's a Japanese grill where the chef cooks the food right in front of you. There comes a time where the Chef throws a small piece of food at you and you have to catch it in you mouth. Yes, I did catch it in my mouth. It's a lot better than having the piece of food miss you completely and land in your bag............Mom. It's a little bit of an inside joke. One time my family and I went to one of these restaurants and I don't know if the chef was having a bad day or was just terrible at aiming, but he kept on missing everyone's mouth. He horribly missed my aunt Alli's mouth and then missed my Mom's mouth so bad that it landed in her bag that was on the floor. Anyway, the chef we had was not having such a bad aiming day and most people caught the piece of food he threw at them. There were plenty of laughs and smiles as he scooted the onion stack across the grill with fire coming out of it saying "choo choo".  Elder Crandall and I thanked Marie greatly for the wonderful dinner she had provided for us.

I don't have too much time and have to get going but things are going well in Elmira. Have a great week.

 

The book is blue, the Church is true, God's a Mormon and so am I.

 

Elder Carlile

 

At Mt Fuji with Marie and her Family