Week 20- Working two-by-two helping the people of Ghana one-by-one

  I am so glad all is well and you are all healthy.  I loved your emails and I love the dear elders!!  Thank you so much for the support and the compliments I really appreciate them.  I am so blessed to have such a great family!! Wow this week has been one of the funnest weeks of my mission! So on Wednesday my companion and I got the okay to go to shop-rite, it was so dang sick I can't begin to tell you how happy I was! They had mountain dew!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  It was so good I bought two and drank them as soon as I bought them and then bought 5 more cans for my b-day!  I as well bought snickers, Twix, kit Kat, and donuts haha it really is like a Wal-Mart in Africa!  I literally was holding back tears as I saw the mountain dew and then saw donuts, seriously it was all I could do not to cry I was just overwhelmed with happiness, it’s amazing how many little things you take for granted back home and then realize how much stupid things like that meant to you.  I say I was on an emotional rollercoaster because while I was in shop-rite there were more obrunys and it smelt like home, looked like home, and I kept thinking please someone walk around the shelves that I know but obviously no one would but it felt like mom was going to walk around the corner it was hard and then when you step outside back into the hot humid sun, reality sinks in and you realize that you are in Africa still but it was such a great experience I can’t wait to serve in the city and enjoy it.  I hope I finish my mission in the city! Then we went to the temple apartments and Dranii and I were earlier
than everyone else so we sat in our room with AC, and relaxed until the rest of the bushanaries got there.  Then we just had a blast with everyone.  We had AC rooms with warm showers, I will say I did have tears rolling down my cheek as I took a warm shower wow it felt so dang good and then to step outside into your room and have it be cold was just overwhelming happiness.  As well I was able to hang out with my MTC friends, and we just sat and played card games, talked about home, and it was great.  That reminds me mom record everything I want to see everything it won’t make me miss home! If it does I will let you know!  As well I saw elder Hutchinson he is from Declo and it was great to talk with him, he is in the other mission so I won't see him again until I get home but we talked about a lot of things and it was great! It was just nice to talk and see all my mtc friends and others it was a great couple of days.  

Well for the big deal Elder Bednar!  WOW!!  The best, most spiritual experience I have ever had in my life!  Basically we were all sitting down singing hyms and all of a sudden it got quiet but yet he still wasn't there, in the chapel at least.  However it was crazy because it just got dead silent and you could just feel his presence, I knew he was there before he walked in, it’s hard to describe but I was like he is here but yet it still took about ten minutes after the silence for him to come in!   As soon as he walked in everyone stood and he walked to the front, hugged the mission presidents and then we sat down when he did.  His wife addressed us first and she is awesome, she has such a kind, gentle, sweet voice and she gave us some really great advice. One of the things she said that I really loved was "be as good as a missionary as your mom’s think you are" I love that quote so I will always strive to do that!!    Then for Elder Bednar.  Remember there were only around 260 missionaries there.  So he stood up and wow he talks just like you hear him anywhere else I love the way he talks. He stood up and at first we just thought he would either give a talk or let us ask questions but he stood and he asked us questions we would answer and then he would expound!  At first he told us too about writing notes I thought it was great.  He said listen, I just want you listen and pay attention and only write down what you are impressed to write down, that you will remember, he said too many times we try to write down every bits of information we can and we lose the notes and don’t remember it two weeks from now haha so I thought that was great. That man though as he would ask us questions and we would answer he would listen so closely, and you could just tell he was listening to the spirit.  We would answer and he would pause and say Elder Dube, or Elder Curtis can you help me with this, or Sister Bednar and it was crazy every time he did that they had a perfect story or example that fit with the question he truly is a man called of god!   One of things that really impacted me was he said that we don't need a vast knowledge of this gospel to go out and teach it, all we need to know is the 5 principles of the gospel and that’s it and be yourself and teach it.  I loved that!  He answered so many of prayers I can't even begin to describe to you the feeling that was there!  As well he said as an apostle he has learned something that the lord works one-by-one.  He has noticed as he has traveled that he may not influence the whole congregation but it’s one person and its usually a big influence.  He has learned that you affect people and help them one-by-one.  That is so important for us as a missionary.  We work two-by-two to help the people of Ghana one-by-one!    Then we asked him questions and he talked about temple marriages, faith, to never be scared of sharing the gospel, and to replace fear with faith I seriously loved it.  After the conference the Asmankase zone went and got pizza but I noticed there was a burger joint and guess what I got a CHEESEBURGER, it was the happiest day of my life, it tasted just a tiny bit different than the ones back home but it was one of the best cheeseburgers I have ever had.  They put french fries in the middle of it and they served it with french fries, and I bought a coke holy cow I was so dang happy I had the biggest smile as I ate it and I just kept saying this is the best freaking day of my life haha I was so pumped.  I hope tanner enjoys those steaks haha;)  I can't wait to serve in the city!!  I however hate feeling like I'm back home because as soon as you walk out of places like that reality sinks in and you realize dang it I'm still in Africa but I love it here truly I feel settled in and this place is starting to feel like my home! Well this Sunday was a great fast and testimony Sunday. My new companion is Elder Bigler he is from Idaho and he works hard, all I can say is I hope he can keep up.  The lord though has really answered my prayers I am so thankful for him I just kept praying for strength to endure and for a companion that wants to work!  If you are obedient and you follow the commandments the lord is bound to help us D and C 82;10  He will be here Wednesday though so next email I will let you know how he is!!

   Well family all is well I’m healthy, I started working out and I realized that was what I was missing serving my mission!  It feels so good!   I can’t wait to start working and let you know some of the people I am teaching!  I am so proud to say I’m a Carson.  I love each and every one of you so dang much!  I miss you all tons.  You are always in my prayers.  Remember pray hard, work hard, and have fun haha.  There is a quote I love "doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith"  I love you all tons!!

Elder Carson
Duke