From: Braydon Carter <braydon.carter@myldsmail.net>
Date: Sun, Nov 25, 2018 at 11:04 PM
Subject: From being trained, to a leader 11/26/2018
Hello Everyone!!
I hope everyone had a super solid Thanksgiving! I have to be completely honest in saying I kind of forgot it was a holiday. I thought it was pretty funny when my companion and I went into a nearby shopping center to try to find people and we saw Black Friday signs. Both laughed saying, "Oh yaa". It's pretty crazy how time flies in the Mission, how you slowly forget about what you missed, and excited for what's to come. I think that's kind of how it's supposed to be. I love the motto from this one company back at home. It was a clothing brand that the coolest people wore called "Afleekon" . Their motto was, "We only look back to see how far we've gone", and that's totally been my look towards things. It's not that I don't miss home, I totally do, but I get way more excited about bettering myself and really using this short time to better myself and be the best that I can be.
Anyways, now onto some exciting news! Just last week, after I sent my big group email, we received our new transfer information. I have to be completely honest, I didn't really see this happening at all, but both my companion and I are staying in Sitiawan. But the more surprising part of the story is we both became leaders too. He just became our Zone leader and I am a District leader which makes it so we are both really busy with helping assigned missionaries be pumped and ready to just be awesome missionaries. My favorite part is I get to do weekly training which is going to be super fun and exciting. I'm excited to use all the skills and knowledge I have built up over the years. The only scary thing about it is it keeps us way busy, and that makes it so time just absolutely flies by. But it will be way good. I'm excited. I have to be honest in saying I was excited either for a companion change or an area change. But now that it's happened, I could not be happier. My companion and I have gotten really close, and we're almost just like brothers at this point, and the area just has so many exciting things that need to be done. I learn more and more every week why God has placed me here.
As far as exciting news I have for this week, I have one kind of cool story. We as a branch had a Thanksgiving party where we all got together, had some good food,and shared our testimonies about what we were grateful for. The first part of the cool story is I was able to share my testimony and it felt really powerful. I shared that I was super grateful for my family. I even shared that I didn't really treat my family all that well. I was always gone, being with friends, at the school, or at work. I didn't really love being at home. But I shared that as I have left to come on my mission that is one of the biggest mistakes I've made. I have realized more than ever I absolutely love my family. They are the most important thing in the world to me, and I absolutely cannot wait to spend as much time as I can with them in the future! What are all of you grateful for?
But the second part of the story is the Branch President asked me to be the translator for the night. So every time some one would come up, regardless of English or Chinese, I would translate for them. It was seriously the coolest thing to see how God will take our talents and turn them into absolute blessings. I was going back and forth and a lot of the time just getting up there and speaking. It was the coolest thing in the world to feel the spirit working through me, making it so I could speak at a pretty OK Chinese level. ( It helps that one of our good buddies here is a native 19 year old branch president ) I even had a member come up and tell me I did really good, and that I would be a really good interpreter one day. That just lit up my world. I absolutely love building myself up so that I can help others. It's the coolest feeling in the world.
As far as something cool for the week. I have been able to try some new foods and fruits. My companion really likes buying fruit off the streets, so I started doing it too. I came across the coolest thing in the whole world. Here's a picture:
Many of you might not be able to tell what that is, but it's watermelon! I know! I was blown away too. We are pretty tight with some of the shop owners that we see everyday, and the lady that sold this watermelon started to tell us that she had yellow watermelon. I thought, "There is no way". So I bought some and there is honestly no difference besides the color. The world is so interesting. Also, I don't know if I've really shared what I've really been able to while being here, but the world is really different from the US. Sitiawan is the weirdest place in the world. I have seen super nice sports cars that are over 300,000 USD to people carrying all of their clothes on their back at the same time. Not only the people, but daily I see lizards in and out of our house, big bugs, wild cats and dogs everywhere. Just the other day I say a big lizard that was like 2 feet long fighting with a mouse in the sewer drain. Things are exciting here. I love it. I took a picture with a cute little bug I found the other day. Here it is:
Lastly, some super exciting news. I am getting close to 2/3 of the way finished with the book of Mormon in Chinese. It is my goal to finish it before Christmas, as well as to complete President Nelson's Book of Mormon challenge. And I have to say it has been the coolest thing in the whole world to see how happy the Book of Mormon makes me. Daily I read almost 20 pages. 10 in each language, and it honestly gives me so much energy and happiness for the day. The Book of Mormon isn't just somewhere we can find so many answers but just carrying it around with me gives me motivation. So I just want to encourage you all to keep reading it. It is the best Book in the whole world, and can help us in any situation at any time. I also want to encourage all of you to seek for Christ this Christmas season. Everyone go watch the Light the World videos. I get a little teary eyed watching them. It makes me want to be the best I can possibly be.
I love you all so much! Thank you for the support, The love and the prayers.
Love,
Elder Carter
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