:D Tracting Fun! 17 June 2009‏

Knocking door to door yesterday we came across a nice looking home. We approached the door and knocked. After waiting for a small time we heard a bellowing "NO!!! IT's the mormons AGAIN!"She opened the door (alcohol in hand) and repeated her expression. "Oh no not the mormons " I said with a big smile. "Hello ma'am how are you today?"She continued to explain to us, In Italy, germany, brasil, she met the Mormons! She said "Well, it's going to be a hard sale boys. If we've seen that many mormon Elders what do you think it means that we're STILL not mormons?

"Before I thought it all the way through I said suprisingly quick "That the Lord is persistant!" They erupted in laughter (her husband had joined her at the door) and said "You're good guys!"They were extremely kind to us. We taught and testified of the reality of God and that he is their Loving heavenly Father. They told us they were aethiest but than explained their situation to be more agnostic. We told her we are eager to share with her our message and invited her to learn more.They kindly declined and we parted ways.The people of Canada in vast majority are SO kind and considerate! There are also many who are less kind and considerate but how merciful the Lord is to be so persistant with that woman! I hope she'll consider what we talked about and be able to remember some of it through the haze of alcohol.

To match my brothers story (he went to the Paraguayan ZOO!) We went to Fort Edmonton Park! I'll attach pictures shortly.It's a huge park where they have a train, and original houses and fort walls! They hav lots of employees who dress in all kinds of clothing to match the years that their houses were built in and even to represent some of the specific settlers of Edmonton in the Fort days.We had SO much fun. We taught at the Church, stormed the methodist chapel, attacked the fort, sat indian legged in a Teepee, climbed (only a little) the watch towers, rode the train, played badmitton, learned loads about the Masons, and had a wonderful time! I could continue but I'll just throw in the pictures.
Life is good. I'm being well taken care of.
:D
I love you all and look forward to the someday we'll meet again.
Elder McCarty

593 Spread the word! ha ha Someday this sign will apply but not yet! What a cool place Fort Edmonton is if they've got a sign like this! 594 Get the methodists! They need the book of mormon! What an action shot!

595 Here we are with some badmitton and some OLD style people. I think they were the 50's or something. Nice folks. Some were far better actors than others!

Life as a missionary 10 June 2009‏

Do you really want to know what it's like? Life as a missionary that is. You don't have to be full time to find out! :DI'll tell you what it's like! Miracles, Love, JOY, Peace, Power, Unity, and Eternal Progression.

This week Andrea Casca had her birthday. She is from Mexico and far from family and loved ones. I saw the hand of God intricately and precisely come into play in her life.I imagine her situation. If I were far from home, with few family members near and not much support, my birthday would have potential to crumble my spirits. Though in some ways our situations are alike, as a missionary I've been trained in the ways of leaning upon the only true support and in such a way my birthdays come and go as the flicker of a candle in the wind. Lidia and David Vasquez, along with their sons Davisito and Carlos, are members of the ward here. They are converts of about 7 years and are some of the most SOLID members I know. They've come more to know Andrea through the course of her teaching and care for her.Sunday they invited Andrea, Lalo (her Fiancee), Hector and Lisabeth (lalos sister and her husband) to come for an authentic mexican meal.At first all were present but Lidia. Then Davisito and his magic hands sat at the piano and began to play.Lidia came from the back room with a giant cake Andrea could nearly fit in with candles lit as we all sang Happy Birthday to you.
19 Year old Andrea's eyes filled with tears and she hugged the Vazquez's and her fiance. The Lord provides peace and comfort to the lonely soul and rest and energy to the weary one. He does it for me daily and when I seek him correctly I have ABSOLUTE faith that all things will work together for our good!
I love and miss you all!
Eldre McCarty
S7300530 Delaina and Valentia were baptized! Miracles! I was so pleased to attend.

S7300531 Out enjoying the sun and some ultimate frisby across from the temple! Some sisters from our old district were going to the temple and came over to see what we were up to. Admire the short shorts! They're my rugby shorts.

S7300532 Do you really want my mailbox to have to see this every day? ha ha Exchanges with Elder Grant. I have always wanted to take a picture like this one!

Hallelujah to ya! 03 June 2009‏

Delaina Francis Nowlan in the Londonderry ward was baptized and confirmed this weekend and I was allowed to be a part of it! I love that family! Her daughter Valentia was also baptized. We both gave the Londonderry Elders a heart attack (Elder kilifi can handle it because he's tough.) My companion and I were about 20 minutes late and Delaina was about 30 minutes late! YOWSER! The spirit was strong and despite Valentia wanting to swim around in the water everything went VERY well.

Zone Conference was revelatory. What meeting in the church is meant to be anything less? President Rhodes doctrinally trained us on Valiance in the testimony of Jesus. Consider what the phrase means to you. "When we are valiant and united we are unstoppable." -President Rhodes. Why not give it a try. Consider who you can share the gospel with. Set some goals and ask the missionaries or someone else to follow up with you to make sure it gets done! I can promise that as you do you'll have more of the spirit with you. What greater Joy can you desire in this life?

In interviews with President and Sister Rhodes we had some great talks. I recieved some of the most kind compliments from them both that I thought they only gave to the extraordinary missionaries. Either Heavenly Father has worked mighty miracles with me or President and Sister Rhodes have lowered their standard of requirements for awesome compliments. I think our Father in Heaven has worked miracles indeed.

I want you all to know that now is the moment in the time-table of the Lord for the gospel to roll forward like it never has before. Lets have the faith and be valiantly united in the cause. As the members of the church do the finding the Joy God offers will spread at an unprecedented rate. I can see it happening.
I love you all and miss you!
We'll see each other soon enough.
Eldre McCarty
7300499 Here we find a wild Eldre McCarty in his natural habitat. Upon preparing to do his species daily ritual of STUDY he discovered that President Thomas S. Monson has a similar taste in ties!
7300500 Elder Williamsen and I! We finished Zone conference and sat together on the grounds of The House of the Lord to discuss and plan what things we'll do to improve from the meeting we attended. 7300502 The boys. Elder Kipp, Moi, Elder Wright, Elder Mckay and Elder Mauglinau [in the back (forgive the spelling massacre.)] Just trying to look good is all.

GLORY GLORY HALLELUJAH 6-3-09

Love love LOVE all ya need is love 27 May 2009‏

Conversion brings forth love. I can feel it in my heart. I'm finding how to be more patient with myself. I realized the other day that our loving Father in Heaven wants me to treat His children with, faith, temperance, patience, brotherly kindness, diligence, and all other good qualities. SO THAT INCLUDES ME. I'm trying to treat myself with those attributes rather than the impatient demanding I have in the past often felt toward myself in my learning and growth.

This week we're working on helping lots of people progress. Olive Mcdavid is a 60 something year old woman from Barbados. She is such a dear lady and is in search for truth. Her husband is atheist and yelled at us "don't try to convert my wife." She told us "don't mind him he'll be just fine."She reminds me of my dear grandmothers with her sweet and gentle love and strong faith. She'll soon be progressing. This last week she didn't make it to church due to her current church needing a pianist. It was interesting for me to see the power that a responsibility has even if it's in another church. She assured us she'll come soon.

Delaina is on for baptism this week. I'm praying for her that she'll find strength to make it happen. She's a strong woman and is making some significant changes in her life.

This week OMAR ARIZABALO emailed me. What an amazing man. He is one of the three amigos of Londonderry. He wrote an awesome email in his limited english. I felt the spirit though and was reminded how important this work is.The sun is shining and Canada is turning green. I am perpetually grateful for the blessings our Fathers careful plan brings to us daily. It truly is the Plan of Happiness. I'm grateful for being taught how to live that plan and truly have that happiness. It is not fleeting. I love and miss you all. I had the realization today that fearing going home would be like fearing death. How can I truly consider myself a devoted faithful disciple if I haven't the simple faith that no matter where I'll be I'm in Gods hands. He's in our lives.

I'm consciously rearranging my thoughts on coming home. I'll not fear it or count down to it. As was told Joseph Smith in revalation "Thy days are numbered and they shall not be less." So it is with my full time mission.

I look forward to the day I'll see you again and I feel that is a foretaste of the way I look forward to seeing our Father in Heaven again. BUT that day is not today so I'll press on in the work of the Lord.

Love,Eldre McCArty

PICTURES S7300447.JPG The part I didn't tell you about the mothers day phone call! Ok maybe this is our Preparation day trip to Jasper. However the last week it did snow! BOOOOO... ha ha it is warm again now and beautiful.

S7300448.JPG DUAL RAINBOW!!! This was just outside the church. On if you spun around from where I was standing you would see rain and nastiness weather. This is the pleasantville side! Yay for beauty. That's our Chevy Malibu in the bottom left. She's a beaut.

Cultures galore! 20 May 2009‏

Reflecting on this last week I have learned SO many things about this world we live in. Cultures I've experienced: Middle east, East Indian, North American Indian, Ethiopian, Sudanese (dinka and neur), Ghana, Mediteranean, Mexican, Japanese, Tongan, Samoan, and of course ALBERTAN.

President Brigham Young said "If you go on your mission with lightness and frivolity looking for this and that and to learn the things of the world you will go and return in vain." I can assure you family and friends I've not served with lightness and frivolity. I WILL not return in vain. Yet as I've thrusted in my sickle I now realize that I have become more, EVEN SECULARLY, than I would have in two years without my mission. AND IT DOES NOT END THERE. That is perhaps the least of what I have learned and become. My conversion and gospel knowledge is SO much more advanced than it would be. I can testify the Jesus IS the Christ.

He is the annointed Savior of the world. Can money buy such? No. This is the best experience and group of experiences I could have. Thank you for supporting me (even if all you do is read my words.) I'm grateful for the prayers! I'm forever in debt to our Father in Heaven and as I seek to serve Him for that debt it will only increase. Thus is His plan of happiness. Eternal life in exchange for our feible struggle to do the small things he asks. Life is amazing.

The investigators are progressing and God is building us.

Love,

Eldre McCarty

Dun dun dun DUN! This is Elder Williamsen and I! Yes it's true most days we're bus jockeys. It's good to learn the bus systems. He's a good man and I'm learning from him!

19 Ye ol' District! The Londonderry district of the Ed north Zone! I miss them but I'm glad to be where I am! My noggin almost blocked Elder Kilifi. This is my last day with those missionaries and we all gathered to say our goodbyes during lunch.

20 Elder Richards and I skipping along with Tin man. He's friendly and apparently wanted to join us to our appointment. Elder Richards is amazing and we will be friends long after the mission. He's still up in the neighbor to my last area. YAY mission!

Wednesday 13 May, 2009‏

Today I'm inclined to proclaim that I feel as did Lehi when he partook of the fruit of the Tree of Life which is the Love of God. As that man must have traveled by the Iron Rod that is God's word through the narrowness and straitness of that possibly treacherous path he arrived as we may also at the glorious Tree of Life. Partaking of the fruit he discovered that it FILLED his soul.

By the Love of God MY soul is filled. My dear brother in Paraguay has artfully written a masterpiece on our Mom. Though I may not write as beautifully I am also forever indebted to the Angel that is our Mom. In a world where the attack upon the family is ever more severe, our mother has been strong. Perhaps as with Christmas, Easter, and many other reverenced Holidays, the spirit of Mothers day ought to be carried through the year. The spirit of Thanks for these tremendous Gifts. First of course is our Savior, "for God so loved the world that he GAVE his only begotten Son." I believe that God so loves each of us that he has blessed us with mothers. The hand that rocks the cradle does SO MUCH MORE than rule the world. I love and miss you Mom. Each person to whom I write, YOU deserve praise also but lets be certain that we don't forget our mothers.

This week has been a tremendous one! We've met with many investigators. The work is picking up substantially. With a little more organization our planning is better. The Lord is bringing to us the understanding of how we ought to represent him better here in River Valley.Elder Preston Williamsen is my companion and one I'm glad to serve with. As he testifies I KNOW the spirit bears witness because this very morning in words plainly spoken that I have heard countless times, I LEARNED a principle of the gospel that has stared me in the face for YEARS. Though he didn't teach it, the spirit did and that is FAR more important than if he had taught me all things!

Delaina Nowlan in Londonderry will be baptized on Sunday. She and Valentia are doing amazing! I've been asked to baptize Delaina. I'm so pleased with her and excited for her! Andrea is our mexican investigator. She is reading from El Libro De Mormon. She is drawn to it and is looking to know why. How marvelous that the spirit is making up for our language barrier by helping her see the importance of this book that is the keystone of our religion.

Preston and Cinderita are a couple with two children. Though they are busy we were able to catch them breifly last night. As we continue to teach them I feel strongly that shortly they will set the goal to be baptized and confirmed members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. As we focus on these covenants we are more able to BLESS those we serve.I love you! Miss you all. Don't forget to pray!Pictures follow next week.

Eldre McCarty