Thursday Emails! July 31, 2008

Well It's another beautiful day in Fort Mcmurray! It's quite overcast in fact, but that just means it's less hot! Monday through Wednesday we went to our Zone Conference. It was a long drive each way but it seems to feel shorter every time. It's about 6 hours down and six more on the way back. I consider it practice for Lake Powell trips in the future! ha ha A good friend of mine named Elder Matthew Asay is one of our Zone Leaders. He has two weeks left in the mission. I'm gonna miss the guy. He's been a really good example to me of what kind of missionary I hope to become. He is such a kind person. He in fact gave me the guitar that he was given on his mission. It's a pretty guitar with nice sound. It's nothing too extravagent but It beats my Ukalehle sized guitar! ha ha It's far more fun to learn the hymns on.An interesting experience we had last week occurred last wednesday. We met with an investegator who and one time had a baptismal date. He spoke about many things he has been reading lately. He is a bright man who prides himself in his quest for nobility and spirituality. He knows the Book of Mormon is true. It hurts to see someone who knows fail to commit. He says he's simply not ready to confine himself. We told him that there is no confinement but that in fact any truth he will find in Daoism or some of his other spiritual investegations will be traced back to God and God has proclaimed that the FULNESS of His Gospel is contained in the Book of Mormon. It's a sorrowful thing to see someone that is unable to act on the faith.Family and friends, find the faith, and ACT. I know not all who recieve these emails are members but what I DO know is that any individual in existance requires faith. Faith is deeply rooted into our every step (literally and figuratively.) When faith brings action we can also find ourselves calling upon the powers of heaven to aid us in our righteous endeavors. I know it's a true principle. I live it every day. When my faith or acting upon it faulter I find myself less happy and less successful. It applies. I love you all! You're the greatest and I hope that the lessons I'm learning show. I'm trying to do and be the best I can.Love,Elder McCarty

Here is a video of Drew narrating the ice on the river. VERY CUTE!!

Ladies and gentlemen! July 23, 2008

Today is another packed preparation day! One of the members in the Timberlee ward wants to take us golfing so we got ourselves some wicked cool golfing polos and we're gonna go see how terrible we really are. It'll be fun I'm sure :DLast week I realize my email was a little boring... I wrote myself a note or two so that I will be better this week at writing some good experiences I've been having!There's a woman named Daniella down in Edmonton. She's a very kind french girl. She has a baby girl (4 months or so) and a boyfriend. Elder Winn (my companion before last) and I tracted into her. We continued trying her and finally the last sunday before I got transferred to Fort Mcmurray she came to church and we set up an appointment with her! She really loved church and told us she would be coming back regularly.That's all I knew about it until just recently. I was told by our Zone Leader that Daniella has a baptismal date! That's the first one in the Clareview ward for some time now.

I was so excited when I heard! She's dedicated to it. The day is August 30th. She needs time to either move out from her boyfriends house or marry him (she's fine with either.) I'm sure she'd prefer to marry him. That was VERY fun for me to hear so I'm sharing it.Also Bobby Lasseter from the Kingsway ward (which I served in also with Elder Winn) recently was baptized. We worked with him and he told us he was ready for baptism after our second appointment. He was most certainly humbled. We were in the process of helping him prepare for baptism just before I left and now he's a member! It's neat to see the success going around! It's especially fun to hear about the people that I actually taught and found.This last week we had a humerous/sad experience. It's funny by nature but sad because of what it really means. Let me explain by telling you the story.Elder Hill and I walked up to Krista's house to see if she was home. We heard from across the street where there sat 6 or so young people some snickers. Along with the giggles came questions I don't think they knew we could hear like "Who are they?" and as we opened Kristas gate "What are they doing?"We continued to discover that Krista was indeed not home. Now due to the nature of combining the wards it has become easier to convince ourselves that we have to be to the people we planned and so we sometimes pass by people on the streets. It's something I'm committed to distinguishing! It's important to talk to EVERYONE.This particular incident as we started to walk away we heard more giggles. Now there's some sense as a missionary that I've gained when it seems we just know when people are giggling about us. What added to our suspicion were the repeated, slightly hushed, calls "I wanna be saved." Well I seem to have a voice inside of me whenever mocking is afoot that says "GO." So I spun around and said Elder Hill we need to go talk to those people. He spun around also and we walked up their sidewalk."Hey" came the shout from the porch, "sorry about my friends, they're a little drunk." The man speaking we later found is named Alex. Alex wasn't exaggerating by any means. His friends were indeed intoxicated. I think it's safe to say he had at that point had a beer or two also. Well they invited us up to the porch to talk. Happily we did so. They asked us a few questions about who we were. We answered but decided we would let them steer the conversation. They offered us each a beer with a smile that said "I know you won't take it," and we didn't.A slight pause ensued and we stood smiling a little. They asked... "Ok what are you here for?" We told them all about the restoration and the remarkable experience Joseph Smith had. We explained we were Christian.Here comes the comment from Alex's friend that is funny and a little saddening. "Hey man, I'm cool with being a catholic. I go to church on Easter and for Christmas. Maybe you can answer a question for me... What is the difference between being catholic and being christian?"Well we answered him and told him that in fact Catholics believe in Christ. We discussed a few differences between his beliefs and ours.We set a return appointment (to which they didn't show) and said our farewells. On the walk back to the car I pondered on what this man had said. How is it that a person can say "I am happy with my beliefs and then in the same breath ask us what those beliefs are."How truly sad it is that Satan binds the children of God by complacency and neglect. I think these people have great potential to learn more and to grow. I hope we can get our schedule in line with theirs. I desire so much to see the soothing power of the atonement applied to the hurt souls that know not where to turn.The worth of every soul is great in the sight of God. That includes these mis directed people we met. It includes each person on this plentiful earth. AND equally important... it includes me and it includes YOU. No matter who you are. Let's rise up and be happy for the kingdom of God is indeed at hand.I love you all and pray for you to have amazing experiences! Elder McCarty (JR)

Here is a little of the local entertainment !

Hey ya'll July 16, 2008 Read this one!

This week came transfer calls! Unusually President Rhodes had to speak to all four of the missionaries that were in Fort Mcmurray. Elder Ford and Elder Steward have been transferred throughout the mission. Elder Hill and I are left here to work in both wards. It's a similar set up to the time Elder Beer came into Elder Winn and my companionship. This time there'll will only be two of us. There's lots of work to do up here and we're setting ambitious but attainable goals. We aim to see things happen here that have been nothing but a dream in the past.Elder David Woodruff Hill is from Bountiful Utah. He's a great guy and a splendid missionary. He's been in the mission for 20 months and so he knows what we're doing. We get along well and I think the next six weeks will be fun and effective! I'm feeling a little ill today. I'm not a big fan of that! ha ha Hewan met with us and we talked for a good little while. She's the one that was the miracle find! She is hung up on the great apostasy. While that is true she is still willing to sincerely read and pray. We will teach more fully focused on the Restoration since the apostasy took the focus last night. She's going out of town until Aug 1st. We lost the truck we've been driving! It's a bit of a sad day in that aspect. The car should be able to get us around but we're on the downhill of summer. Once winter comes... the Truck sometimes is out of commission when lots of snow comes up here! Well last week I sent a picture of the sweet shirt I got and somehow a few people were disappointed to see that I wasn't in it! I didn't even consider that before I sent it. I'm sorry! I'll send one with me in it this time!Well I have to be running but I love you all!Elder McCarty

Ok... SO I forgot to add the picture! Beware some people are telling me I look different! I took this one because Elder stewart tried to pull me around by my tie and it happened to shape itself into a TRIPLE DIMPLE! Yowsa... I'm not sure what that means. Neato! Take care!

Yowsa! July 9, 2008

I believe in Miracles! Yesterday we were preparing to go back out into the world for the day and we prayed before we left (it's a general missionary custom.) In the prayer we prayed for something that I didn't really expect. I said "Please bless us with one new investegator." Now that's a great thing to pray for but so specific. In the past I never had the faith to expect that I could pray about something like that and see it happen.We were trying a former investegator. We thought it was the house but it was the wrong address. We talked with Hewan for about 15 minutes and she seems excited for us to come back!Doug is SO solid. He's probably early 40's or late 30's. He's from Newfoundland and works here. His wife and kids are back home so he goes home for 1 week out of each month and the company flies him to and from. Our lesson last week went awesome! WE missed out on the lesson two days ago because he had to go to Newfoundland early for "Family issues." We pray all is well with him and he seems to have been prepared! He knows churches are missing things and hasn't ever been baptized because of it. I'm excited to see where it goes!Kim has fallen off the face of the earth and we haven't been able to find her. Tromblay apparently doesn't live in the same house so that is a good sign. The house she lives in is provided for a bunch of people by the company they work for so if she doesn't answer the door whoever is there usually says she's busy or not around.Oh! This last monday we did some more service and Sally Annes (the salvation army.) I found a sweet olympic canadian jacket that is going to be one of my best souvineers and I also got a sweet t-shirt. I've attached the picture of it with the email. I'm gonna start trying to send one picture with each mass email because I'm a slacker and haven't send home my SD card yet. Bad Elder McCarty I'll be sure to slap my knuckles with a yard stick. The shirt is cool because it says FT. Mcmurray, NFNLD... Now Newfoundland is a good ways away from Alberta... which is where Ft. Mcmurray is. They claim it's the second largest city of Newfoundland since there are TONS of Newfs here. The flag above it is of course Newfoundland. I'm excited to wear it to service somewhere! ha ha It'll be a good souvineer too.I love you all! The church is so true.Elder McCarty

Rollercoaster weeks July 02, 2008

Yowser!Today is my companiero's birthday. He's now 20 years old! It's been so far a good day. This last week at district meeting I had a super powerful experience bearing my testimony of God's love for us all. It struck me to the core and I felt the spirit very strong.We've got 3 new investegators this past week and I think they've got real potential. Kim and Tromblay have an appointment with us tonight and then Doug will be a second appointment next monday. Doug is an awesome guy! He's here for work (like everyone else) and he's from Newfounland. He's a christian and he studied the bible all his life. He agrees with most of what we taught and said he will pray to know about Joseph Smith. He even committed his friend Beaker to read and pray before we had committed him! It was cool.I'm learning a lot and stumbling my way to become the best missionary I can be! I'll get there with the Lords help.Elder McCartyWith all my love!