Photos......labels??

We understand that the "titles" for the pictures did not go through on our last Blog. Forgive us, we are new at tis!! The first picture is of our new Branch President and his family. That's Travis Chaka. Then, there is the photo of the new Mission President and his family. President Salin. And last, there are two pictures of the Jarmin's. Mo and Sondra.


We are both doing well. We had a wonderful Zone Conference with our nre mission pres. and his family last Friday in Friendswood...it was very good. He is a very good speaker/teacher. Also his wife, and the older four kids were involved in the conference. Great!!
We had our first baptism last Sunday, and we're having another one on August 16th. For three people!!
We're fine, learning, visiting, and visiting and visiting!!! All for now!! Love, Elder and Sister Carter

Inspired Home Teaching!!

Hello to all..........We often have people look at our missionary tags when we go into stores, etc. Well, we were in Wal-mart last week, doing our grocery shopping, and a lady looked at us, and asked to read our tags, and we had a wonderful conversation. She introduced herself, and told us her story of inactivity in the church, and returning to the church a few years ago. It was very inspiring!! (Bishop Shearer...feel free to share this with everyone!!)
Her name is Sister Laughman, and she left the church when she was about 19 years old, because she wanted "freedom". There were just too many resrictions. Well, 12 years before she returned, she and her non-member husband allowed the Home Teachers to visit them. A Brother Ruggles was assigned to them. Well, in 12 years, he never missed a month and he brought her family 144 loaves of home baked bread!! About half way through this time, Bro. Ruggles daughter was being baptized and she accepted the invitation to attend the baptism. When she was at church, she began to feel the spirit, and she remembered her feelings toward church when she was a child. Awhile after this, she was sitting on her porch swing, and her husband was working in the yard; he came up to sit down and relax for a minute, and she was overcome with guilt, so she told her husband, "I need to tell you something." She told him that she had been paying tithing on half his income, because she felt like she needed to pay tithing and she felt bad that he didn't know about it. He turned to her and said, "Go ahead and pay on all of my income." She says that when she finally returned, she was "weighted down with chains of guilt and sin and bad habits". She was so glad for Bishops court and for the Atonement, and that, once she was fully returned...she finally felt what "freedom" really was. As a result of this Home Teacher's faithfulness and LOVE for her, she came back, her husband joined the church, her sister came back, her daughter joined the church..... It was SO inspiring!! We didn't do a thing, but we would not have heard her story if we would not have had Missionary Tags!!
We have a Pioneer Celebration today....all outdoors, water games.............and it's supposed to rain...maybe!! That's how Texas is!!!
We are having a baptism next Sunday...Jonathan Rodriguez, who is 12 years old, but has not been baptised because of his parents inactivity the last few years. They returned, so Jonathan has been doing all those young people's activities, and the Elders have taught him, to be sure he understands. He's a great kid!!
We've challenged the Escamilla Family to come to church tomorrow!!! We'll see!!
We've been really good. We went out to ElCampo to help a family move in to the house they have rented. The family is from St. George, Utah. The dad builds and flies, and sells "ultra-light" planes. Anyway, we were all helping, maybe only one big piece of furniture left and a few boxes, and it POURED DOWN RAIN...LIGHTNING.....BUCKETS OF RAIN....... We finally left....but someone stayed to finish that last little bit, because we went by just a bit ago and the U-haul was gone. The family wasn't home.
Anyway...we are really good!! Lots of Love to all...Elder and Sister Carter

July Missionary Update

We have had some adventures just lately!! First, we started working in Bay City one day a week. Same job, supporting the members, and visiting the less active. One of the families we visited was the Jarmin's. They are a young couple with an 18 month old son. Michael (nickname is 'Moe') works for the Bay City Police Dept. and last Sept. Moe was working traffic control and was involved in a terrible accident. Basically, a semi-truck ran into the back of some 'stopped' cars and trucks, and became airborne and landed on Moe, who was trying to run away from the whole event, and drug him the truck, they life-flighted him to a hospital in Houston, they told his wife to let them "pull the plug" because he wasn't going to make it. She wouldn't. They said "he won't last a week". He was in a coma for a month. He lasted a week, and they told her to pull the plug because he would be a vegetable. She said, no. He had 15+ operations during the time he was in the coma. Burns, and skingrafts on one arm. Broken arm , that now has a steel plate in it on the other arm. Broken fingers...he'll have to have joint replacements on two fingers!! Because of the trauma to his head, he's still working on memory and some brain damage. Then there is his leg....it was filleted from the ankle to the hip on the inside of his leg. They put it back together....his calf muscle is laying on his knee joint to protect it..... they said he would never walk again...he's walking....well, he'll only walk with a walker.....he's walking with a cane, and inside his house, without a cane. He has a "cage" drilled into the bones on either side of his knee. This has been there for awhile....his leg wouldn't go straight, so every night his wife would give him pain pills, then turns the screw to straighten his leg. His leg is straight, and his heel can touch the ground. Who knows what's next!!! They have endured all of this with a positive attitude. Both Moe and Sondra have been through a really difficult time!! The Police Dept. had to let him go, as the insurance company only insures an employee who has been on the force for 12 months or more. Moe had been there for 10 months. His job, or any desk job is waiting for him as soon as he is able to do it. They are amazing!! Moe's job around the house is to do the dishes.....so I gave him one of my handmade dishclothes to help him!!!
We've been working with a wonderful young couplle...Carrie Benevidez and Johnny Garcia. She has three young boys, and Jennifer just felt that they wanted to go to church. So we started visiting a little more, and then we challenged them to attend church every week. Well, they have been coming. Johnny isn't a member, but is taking the lessons with the young Elders. Now, he tells us that his Mom and his sister want to come to church. They are getting married on Sept. 19 by our new Branch President!!
Another great family is the Rodriguez's. Joel and Marcia. They are in their 50's and had gone inactive because of some extended family problems that had discouraged them alot. Well, we began going with the young Elders (Marcia only speaks a little english) and now they are coming regularly, and their youngest son, Jonathan, is coming to YM/YW and just spent a week at Scout Camp.
We got a new Mission President the first of this month. We met he and his wife, and their 6 children on the 4th of July. They are AWESOME!!
We're doing our best, and enjoying the HOT Texas summer!!
Hope all of you are good, too.
Sincerely, Elder and Sister Carter
Texas Houston South Mission