Weekly Update 9/28/2015

Weekly update,

                          Well it was a good week. Full of different activities. Elder Doman and I had a good week in our area. We really worked hard and saw some miracles. It's been tough cause we've had to
drop some of our investigators. Which is always tough because you don't want to do that! One thing I've learned is that this gospel is a gospel of change. If you aren't willing to change then you aren't
gonna go anywhere! Especially if you want to see miracles and blessings. As I've allowed my  mission to change me it hasn't made me a different person, it's just purified my good qualities. And helped me over come my short comings! I'm still Carter Crismon, I'm just a better version. Something that causes me excitement! So I'll go into my week!

                             So as my mission has progressed onward it's been interesting to see how the Lord has tested me. Each time it's rough. He always gives me enough to push through! It's also cool to watch how he does that for our investigators and less actives. This week we met with a guy who left the church. He was offended by a bishop while he was going through a hard time! His wife invited us to come over and chat with him! He is such a great guy and does everything else that he's supposed to do, except go to church! As we sat with him we had a very spiritual experience and lesson! Elder
Doman and I really felt the love for this guy. We felt bad for him and knew that God loved him and that God had sent us to him! It was a great lesson and we all left with a renewed sense of commitment to follow the Lord! It's cool cause it says in the scriptures that if you teach right that will happen and it happens all he time!!! Wahoooo!

                             Funny story for the week! BYU's football team!!! #LOL haha but that's okay cause my beloved Oregon got beaten handily this week as well by Utah! #GoUtes Just a thought though, in the last 6 years Oregon has the best overall record. Just a thought.  But time for the real story! So Elder Doman and I decided to knock on a couple of doors right by a potential investigators place. So we were trying to make it fun! So we were singing and dancing. If you can imagine these too big guys doing that! But anyways so as I was singing we went and knocked an this door, I was still singing, and had no shame! So suddenly a woman answers the door laughing pretty hard. She
had heard me singing and thought it was funny! She then decided to listen to us as well, so it was a cool experience. She took a pamphlet, but said we couldn't come back! But we'll try again in a
while! Cause you never know!

                            This week for our zone was rough. We Just have a bunch of whack-o-mole missionaries! One week they do great and do everything right! Then the next they just blow it.... It sucks and it's very frustrating. So we've decided that it's time to change the culture down here in the Deland zone! We are just gonna shake things up and commit all the missionaries to go ALL IN!!! Cause that's what we needed, missionaries who are willing to go through the wall to make
things happen! We are so pumped to help these missionaries! I so enjoy being a zone leader. It really is very fun. It heals the soul to help other people keep pushing and serving them! Plus Elder Doman is such a good guy, we get along very well! The best of friends! Hopefully we stay together this next transfer! So please pray for that!!!

                             So it was a good week. Happy with what's been happening with us, and not happy with the zone! Haha I'm excited to see what the future has in store. I hope everyone is doing well
back home! I look forward to hearing from you guys, your emails and letters really do help me a lot. I'm doing well! If any of you have questions for me please ask! I hope you all have a good week this
coming week and I'll be praying for you!

Love, Elder Crismon!

Some pictures from this week:

 Playing volleyball at the beach!

 Carter at Daytona Beach!

 Beach picture- he said someone else took this picture! He didn't want to take credit! It is GORGEOUS!!

 Carter and another Elder

 The group that morning on the beach!

 Carter & Elder Doman!

Weekly Update 9/22/2015

THE TWEEKLY UPDATE!

                      Well we had a great week. Lots of fun things and lots of things to be happy about down here in Florida! Today in this email I'll highlight a couple of really cool things that I'm pretty pumped about and that are making life fun! Elder Doman and I had an amazing week this week as well. We taught the most lessons that I ever have again. It seems like every week we set a goal and get it, it's truly amazing! Plus the zone did well! So I guess we'll just get started! 

                      So to start today I'll share a funny story. So this is actually from the week before but I had forgotten to mention it. So I went on an exchange to a Spanish area! Well those are crazy. We stopped by a less active member. They had just cooked dinner and offered us some! They were very nice. Well the food they gave us was well... crazy. They gave us some rice, but piled on top of that was a whole Pig's foot. #freakinggross Seriously it was just a whole pigs foot. They just like cook the thing bone and all! Haha It's really yummy. Haha so I tried some, and let me tell you it was the most gross thing ever. It was like a fat that tasted like nasty pork. No Bueno. The guy who gave it to us laughed at me as I gagged it down! 

                     So another funny thing that happened was on Tuesday night we had an exchange with the assistants to the president. I was staying here in Daytona, and Doman was going to my old stomping grounds in Hunters Creek! So they get here, and we are chatting it up having just the darnedest time. Then we realize that we have a super important dinner the next day. That both Elder Doman and I need to attend. Now I'm in the furthest place away from everyone else. Like we are way up there! So because it's an hour and a half drive to their area they usually stay the night and go the next morning. Well we had decided that it would be best if we just didn't do the exchange. So they stayed the night and left the next morning. Hahaha it was the weirdest thing. They literally drove 1 hour and half at 9:00 just to sleep over and leave the next morning! Haha pretty weird. 

                  Another fun thing that happened this week was on Sunday. We were visiting this girl, she's been less active for a while, but is returning! She's showing some really cool signs of improvement! We were stoked about That! So while we were sharing our message with her suddenly one of her hung over roommates wakes up and runs to the bath room. She then starts to "sing praises to the porcelain throne"... It was pretty funny. To be teaching somebody and have Someone puking their guts out in the back! Haha She then came to the front and was like "I Feel Great!!" Haha it was really funny. 

                In our area specifically Elder Doman and I killed it! On Saturday we went on an exchange with some elders. I stayed here in Daytona and took over for the first time since I've been here! It went absolutely amazing! We taught 11 lessons in one day. Quite spectacular! Never in my life did I think that was possible, but our area is on fire. We just had some sick planning and were able to use our time super effectively! It was a huge blessing! Then also we had a lot of our less active and recent converts come to church! Which was really cool! That always feels very nice! 

                In other news I went on an exchange to a place called Deltona. This place is nuts. It's literally just houses and trees everywhere! It just has the weirdest feeling to it. These elders there had been struggling. So we went on an exchange to just lift their spirits and show them what's possible! It was a great exchange. The guy I went with was elder Thayne! He's from Northern Utah, and is a way cool guy! The crazy part is he graduated in 2015.... So I'm a whole year older then him. Totally blew my mind kinda! Usually I'm used to being the one that is younger. But not this time! We had fun though! The only thing I didn't like was that creepy house they live in. 4 elders used to stay there. Now it's only 2, it's a huge house. At least 1,800 square feet, that's a lot for missionaries! So it just feels empty, I wasn't a huge fan of it! But I got over it and just had the time of my life! 

            Well that was my week in a nutshell! Super good one, with lots of cool miracles in my area and around the zone! We are just trying to turn things around up here, Elder Doman and I. And we finally feel that our efforts may be paying off! Now the trick is to keep our missionaries hungry! And motivated to keep pushing! Thank you for all the support! I hope y'all enjoyed this email! Have an absolutely amazing week, and I'll be praying for you guys!!! WAHOOOOOOOOO 

Love, Elder Crismon 

Some pictures from this week:

 Carter & Elder Doman

 A Lighthouse- he didn't say from where

 Florida sunrise! :)

 Carter showing off his new suit from "Grandpa"

 The Elders goofing off! Haha!

Weekly Update 9/14/15

THE WEEKLY UPDATE!!!!!!!!!! 

                       Well what a good week for little ol' Elder Crismon. With zone conference, and exchange, and lots of teaching, my week was chalked full of fun stuff and stress! The thing that seems to be bugging me the most is I'm just always tired and it sucks! Haha But I'm loving life. We also had some downs, we found out that one of our investigators could be moving. She has a date! So hopefully she will be baptized before she leaves! Which is looking like is the most possible outcome! So pray that it happens! Also this week I officially hit my year mark. Crazy to think that in less then a year I'll be done with my mission. It makes me sad... 

                      So to start off this last Tuesday was zone conference! It was a great conference! It got started at the bright and early time of 6:30am so we had to wake up at 4:40 to make it on time! We had to run car checks and make sure that those who wanted flu shots got them. It was stressful! But lots of fun! After that madness zone conference itself began. I was actually #2 on the docket! I gave a safeguards thought to the mission. The safeguards are ideas that the church has given to us missionaries to help us from falling into making a mistake using iPads. So I gave a 10 minute training! Everyone said it was a great training! I got multiple comments on it! I felt very good as I was up there! So thank you for all your prayers they were definitely felt as I gave my training. Our mission president dropped a bomb on the mission as well. He changed the music rules and we can only listen to things on LDS.org. So that was crazy! We actually knew it was coming, but it's still pretty crazy! I must admit I've seen blessings already from following his council! 

                     So the coolest blessing this week happened! So I was in desperate need of a new suit. You see the other one was too small and just not as nice! Well good ol' Grandpa is the man. I love that guy! He had a brand new suit that he had never worn. He bought it three years ago. Well he didn't want it and it just happened to fit me just perfect. It's a super awesome suit! It's a navy colored suit with pin stripes! It's dark blue, and it's classy! It looks like what the seventies wear when they come to our mission! He also hooked me up with some new shoes! Grandpa is the man, the myth, and the legend! Just so very grateful for him! He actually gave it to me on my year mark day! It was a good present from him. A tender mercy from the Lord! God does answer prayers! 

                       So funny story of the week. As Zone leaders we go on lots of exchanges. Just about every four days I'm in a new area for a day! Haha So we scheduled an exchange for this week with a couple of Elders. And well there was a slight miscommunication.... #LOL In our zone everyone is really spread out from each other. So we get members to give us rides. Well we decided that they were gonna get a ride on Friday night or the start of the exchange! So as I packed at 8:50pm and waited for a while they just never came. Finally at 9:30 we called them asking where the heck they were! And they had thought we were going over there! Hahaha So we had to cancel the thing because they live a good 45 minute drive away, and 1 and a half hour round trip! I'm actually a little grateful we didn't cause I needed to get a grip on my new area and now I'm more confident than I was before! 

                      Well it's been a good week. Lots of ups and downs. One of the highlights is on Thursday nights we got permission from our mission president to play basketball with the Elders quorum! It's a lot of fun and we ball hard. I'm talking #Kobe haha We have a good time! I'm getting better and better at this whole basketball thing. Elder Doman and I are still just loving life up here in Daytona. We've been working hard and teaching like maniacs. We get along great and I just love serving with this guy! Hopefully we get to do another one together! I know that the work that we do out here and around the world to be true. It's tough, and it really is he hardest thing I've ever done. But just as Elder Holland put it "Missionary work is hard, because salvation is not a cheap experience." As a disciple of Christ life is not easy but we are just paying a token of the price that Jesus the Christ himself paid. The church is true and I know it! I wish you all the best of luck this coming week. I'll be praying for all of you! I hope you feel my prayers! Cause I feel yours! I look forward to hearing from you guys! Love you all!!!

Love, Elder Crismon!

A few pictures he sent this week:

 This is a picture of his hair cut! He's been getting a laser part and he likes it! I do too!

 This is a new bag he got himself! W.T.D means "Win the Day"

 These are some new shoes that "Grandpa" got him this week! Very nice!

 He also gave Carter these glasses... not so sure about those! Haha!

 Carter bought this watch for himself too- very nice!

 This is "Grandpa"! Seems like a very cool guy! He looks like the kind of guy that has good stories to tell! :)

This is a picture of a Florida sunrise- gorgeous!

Weekly Update 9/7/15

DA WEEKLY UPDATE.

                 Hello ladies and gentleman! It's been a pretty good week! Well actually Elder Doman and I went hard. We had the best week I've ever had in the mission! Like holy cow! Even with fast Sunday! I almost died, and we have just been going around having the time of our lives. I love being a missionary. I love being a Zone Leader as well. It's such a great responsibility to have. The zone did well this week. But we are still pretty content, and we addressed that last night with a swift rebuking. Haha Not really, but we did have a conference call with all of the district leaders and just motivated them. We got in their face a little bit and just told them that we need to raise the bar. It was good! So hopefully that will show forth some fruit this week! 

                So to start off I'll tell the story of when I almost died. On Saturday we went on my first exchange as a zone leader. I went to Bunnell or AKA hick town. It also includes Palm Coast, which is just a bunch of old people. I was with Elder Davis, which was weird because at one point he was my District leader. Haha But it was fun. Well that morning we had a service project. The city of Palm Coast were doing a clean up the streets thing, basically we were just picking up trash. Elder Davis and I and one of the Sister companionships were walking down this path picking up trash. When suddenly it began to rain, pretty heavily. Now I HATE being wet. So this sucked! haha We decided to keep going. Then lighting struck about 1 mile away from us so we started to walk back to shelter. It was about a 5 minute walk. Then lighting struck again, about the same distance away, this time louder though. Then suddenly lighting cracked across the sky literally right over us and there was no separation between the light and sound. The ground actually shook a little bit. So we began to sprint back! It was terrifying! While running I had a prayer in my heart that we would be safe. Luckily we all made it to safety! It was crazy! You just don't see lighting storms like that in Utah! God was definitely watching over us!!

              So funny story time! So Elder Doman and I have been just having a total ball! We are best friends! We've been messing with people as well. As many of you know I am notorious for fake walking into doors and stuff. Getting people to look and wonder "is that guy okay?" Or "that fat guy just walked into a door". So what elder Doman and I have been doing is pretty funny and very similar! The process is as follows! While in our car we first slide the front seat all the way back, then Elder Doman rolls up to a red light and slams on the brakes, while I hold the thing to slide the chair, and FLY forward fake hitting my head on the dash! Hahahahahahaha it's Pretty freaking funny!! We've gotten probably about 100 people with this! They always end up laughing! Haha Once we got this large group of black girls! Haha It was hilarious! They all were like Whoa!!!!!!!!! So we've been driving around going hard, and having fun! 

            So cool spiritual experience time. So we have a cool Less active guy named Billy! He's awesome! He has been inactive for a while. He recently had a heart attack and while in the hospital sought out the church to receive a blessing. We've been working with him now for about 4 weeks. This Sunday was fast Sunday and we encouraged him to fast. He has Type 2 diabetes and so it would be hard. But we told him God would just bless him more! So he decided to do it! He started to fast on Saturday at 12 and would end at 12 the next day! We were so pumped! He fasted for strength as he goes into the doctor to see if he'll need follow up surgery! The best part of it was this. At church the next day during the testimony meeting. He went up and bore his testimony. This was only his 2nd time back in church after 25 or so years. It was an amazing testimony! He talked about how one of his regrets is that he never bore his testimony for his Mom. It was a really spiritual testimony! He finished his 24 hour fast. Pretty freaking awesome! Adds to my testimony of the fast! The Lord uplifts anyone who needs help when they fast! It's truly amazing! So if you need help FAST!!!! 

          So it's been a good week. Like I said Key Indicator (numbers) wise the best week I've ever had on my mission!! I'm super pumped about that! Elder Doman is a great guy. We are both pretty stressed out about this week. On Tuesday is Zone conference. Half the mission is getting together for a little revelatory Pow Wow. I'm pretty nervous because I have to give a 10 minute Safeguards training. I'm pretty nervous! President Berry wants me to give it! So please pray for me! About 130 missionaries will be in attendance! So hopefully I do well! But thank you all for your support and all of the letters. Hopefully I get some mail from some friends here soon.... Haha but fo' reals. I'll be praying for you guys this week! Have a great one! 

Love, 

Elder Crismon!!

 While out and about Elder Doman and Carter found Utah Drive! Haha!

 They also REALLY liked the football game I sent in his most recent box! This is the set up and when they get the chance they'll play a game or two! :)