Monday, November 14, 2011

20 October 2011

Update on what happened at the dr. office yesterday.
We went into the dr. office last night about 5:30 and didn't leave until10:30 or so
They took xrays and checked them over thoroughly as well as gave me meds to dull the pain for the time being
Naproxin, Tylenol #3, Cyclobenzaprine pain reliever, inflamation reducer and muscle relaxer. very low doses.
They will look at an MRI in the coming week to make sure everything is taken care of and look for other avenues if there are any!


--

_\../ Elder Karlson \../_


Arizona Tucson Mission "Saves Souls"
939 W Chapala Drive
Tucson, AZ 85704

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

17 October 2011

Wow how time flies when you are having fun! I can't believe that it is already the middle of the month and well quite frankly yesterday was the 1st of the month!! This month has literally flown by and well i'm not sure what to say! we found a new investigator this week and well it's been kinda rough teaching him and her both! wow! Alfonzo is a mexican american how he passed the entrance exam is beyond me, but he doesn't sign american sign language or read english so i'm taking it on me to learn a little MSL ( Mexican Sign Language ) It has been real fun! Then Olivia she comes from a really tough life of curiosity and pleasure! She loves the missionaries and the gospel as she recognizes that it helps her to find peace! They have been progressing pretty slow it seems because of their language barrier and their education level, but the lord has been preparing them and is helping them to work towards the goal of baptism!

Things in the mission are changing and they are rather awesome changes! You'll probably hear about them in church news and in the weeks to follow we have zone training and interviews this week so we will see how that goes! :) lots of new things coming our way we are told! so I'm really looking forward to that! The president is looking to change the face of this mission completely! It's gonna be awesome! Can't wait!
Well gotta run!!
Love you all!

_\../ Elder Karlson \../_


Arizona Tucson Mission "Saves Souls"
939 W Chapala Drive
Tucson, AZ 85704

11 October 2011

Well it has been a rather interesting week and a pretty rough one too! The Work is very slow and well the Back pain has been through the roof!
We found 2 news this last week one last night and one last week thursday! The one last night has just had an abortion and struggles a lot with repentance and recieving forgiveness! The lord will help her and us as we help her to get though it! The other is a 65-70 year old man from mexico. He signs what it called LSM ( Language of Sign Mexican ) It has been a real challenge espically with a companion who can't sign and who can't understand what i am saying! it is really difficult, but there is still hope! the lord has put me in this situation to learn something, even if it is just that I can do hard things! He knows what he is doing and well I guess I haven't yet learned something that I need to learn! I will be getting a new companion next transfer. That will be a few days prior to Thanks giving! on the 22nd! The Lord loves us and is helping us to prepare his children now and in the future for others to follow!



_\../ Elder Karlson \../_


Arizona Tucson Mission "Saves Souls"
939 W Chapala Drive
Tucson, AZ 85704

3 October 2011

This is once another week of some exciting things and well many new blessings! the Lord has been helping us to continue and to find those who are ready to recieve the gospel. We have been looking for a few new people to teach and it has been pretty difficult for us to find anyone recently. we have a few referrals, but no one has been home...

We had an awesome baptism this week during general conference sessions and I had the opportunity to baptise her! We need to find some new priesthood holders though it seems like we have been teaching women and baptising them and no new priesthood. The Stake president was worried about that some as well as the mission and Branch president. we will do our best and the Lord will make up the difference.

So General Conference WOOOOOOW!!! That is about all that I can say about that!!! It was awesome to watch and to see the bretheren speak right to us!!!
So some of the really cool talks that I enjoyed were 1 from Elder neil L Andersen in the Saturday session and the From Jeffery R Holland in Priesthood meeting! WOW!

Take a watch at that one for sure and if you want to see it even more violent with jeffery R hollands talk pull up the interpreter! WOW! Well it has been a pretty amazing week to say the least, but now it is time to go back to work and "save some souls"!

Know I love you! Have an amazing week!
--

_\../ Elder Karlson \../_


Arizona Tucson Mission "Saves Souls"
939 W Chapala Drive
Tucson, AZ 85704

26 september 2011

This week has been rather different in more ways than one!! We have been working for the goal of finding a new investigator. we have yet to find one, but we have been searching our hardest and praying A LOT! yes it's been tough, but well worth it! We started the week off really busy since our investigator last week who was baptised on Friday didn't show up for her confirmation. come to find out she got suck far away at her sisters house and missed the last bus to town and the next bus doesn't come until 10 am Sunday morning then the 2 hour ride across town just well we'll put it this way didn't make it to church!!! We continued to teach her and help her to understand the importance of the holy ghost in the process of baptism and becoming a member of the church! she was confirmed by me yesterday during Sacrament meeting! it was awesome! we had the Most people there in the branch and possibly set a record for number in attendance to the branch ever! 57:) awesome! :) We have another baptism planned for this Saturday October 1st. we have been teaching her almost my whole mission and has finally decided that it is more important for her to be baptised than to live with her boyfriend! :) The lord is preparing people every day for us to find and as we are prepared he will bless us and help us in his work!!!

This week we had the opportunity to go to a Deaf Festival. The mission paid for a booth so that we could have a place there to expose the church to the deaf community! we recieved 4 refferals and a few other people we were teaching before told us to come back and one told us that "She wanted to be a Mormon" :) That is the missionaries happiest day when someone comes and says they want it! :)

The work goes well and well it's starting to cool off!!! NOT COOL! it is 85 and I have my sweater on and i'm freezing in the buildings! wow! well gotta run!!!

Love you!


_\../ Elder Karlson \../_


Arizona Tucson Mission "Saves Souls"
939 W Chapala Drive
Tucson, AZ 85704

Thursday, September 22, 2011

14 september 2011

Bueno familia,

Hey I got your letter this week! :) thanks so much it was muy bueno! :) I have been getting mail recently and it is great! :) thanks! this week has been super nuts! we have a baptism coming up on friday and Kelly is super excited for it! :) she can't wait!! she asked me to baptise her and Help her to make this covenant! What a great opportunity!!! All the missionaries are looking forward to it:) they say there is a special spirit about a deaf baptism that can't really be explained! :) I can't wait!! Conducting, baptising, leading the singing! can't wait!! the lord is blessing us as we do our best to help him!!! :)

this week in Institute class we Learned about revelation and why personal revelation is crucial, that it is the only way that we can progress and become closer to our heavenly father... The teacher then challenged us to once again pray to know if the book of mormon is true and if joseph smith is a prophet. I remember when Elder bradley first got here. we were tracting and came upon a Jehovah Witness man. we taught him for a few minutes then left. Elder Bradley asked me why people won't listen to us and why this work was so hard. I leaned over to him and asked him why are you here? he looked at me and said hmm. with a puzzled face then I asked him again... why are you here? His simple answer was to teach people about the gospel. I looked him in the eyes and said simply to Baptise. he looked again at me confused and said I don't understand. My purpose is to invite others to come unto Christ through faith in jesus christ and his atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the holy ghost, and enduring to the end!

Christ made this all possible. We mess up we repent, we start over again and mess up, but we don't give up we continue on the road back to the celestial Kingdom through Faith in jesus Christ, repentance, baptism ( partaking of the sacrament each week), Living worthy of the Holy ghost, and enduring to the End, keeping this cycle going and active in our lives. As we do so we will be blessed by our faith and determiniation to follow him!

He loves us and is ready for us to follow him. now is our time to do so, to "Raise the Bar" and do a little bit more for him. Forget ourselves and go to work. go about his work. Follow him!


I Love you !! hope ya'll have a great week!!!

_\../ Elder Karlson \../_


Arizona Tucson Mission
939 W Chapalla Drive
Tucson, AZ 85704

6 September 2011

Alrighty so yesterday being a holiday It is my opportunity to write to you a day late!! :) haha! This week has been rather different week! We had a missionary return here this week to Arizona, but not as the family had planned... She was t-boned in New York while serving there and passed away and returned back to her Heavenly Father. It has been a real testimony builder for me to be able to help and to serve. All the missionaries in the Tucson area were asked to go to her funeral to support their family in this difficult time. We consented to go and to my amazement there were hundreds of people there to support them and the family as well as about 100 missionaries. It was a great blessing. I also was recruited to interpret, along with Elder Bradley. I interpreted for Elder Pickerd of the 70 and Elder Evans of the first quorum of the 70. I looked a little puzzled when asked to interpret, being that I can't hear all that well and well I didn't miss a beat! The lord is working well through us and is truly helping us to accomplish his work!!!

So recently We were driving and I felt this really weird impression to go to the public Library on our way to a members house for dinner, we were late again ( I think that is the life of a missionary ) but I decided to follow it. I went in not knowing what to expect or what to do. I went in went to the bathroom and then looked around the place for a deaf person or persons using sign language.... nothing... I then looked over to 4 laptops sitting at the table and there was a previous investigator we were teaching that we had lost contact with because she had gone homeless... we found her, talked with her and set a return appointment and she now has a baptismal date for October 1st.
We have a baptismal interview for one other lady we are teaching. Kelly. She is excited to be baptised and I can hardly wait!! we are struggling to find, but it is step by step process that the Lord is building us to make us who he needs to be for someone else as well as giving my new AWESOME companion the opportunity to learn some more sign. He shared his testimony for the first time and prayed for the first time yesterday. It was amazing! The gift of tongues (languages) is truly real!

One story that has rather impacted me: I was fixing lunch a few weeks back with really nothing in mind of what to eat. I looked in the fridge and didn't find much there and then looked to the freezer hopefully something would be there!! i looked down into the vent of the freezer and noticed it had a little scum and i decided that I would clean it out! i went to get the screw driver put all the food on the table and went to work. I took off the plastic bottom piece and much to my suprise i found a lot more that i had bargained for. grit and grim all over the place. I sprayed it with bleach and couldn't get it to come up. I continued again nothing. so I went for vinegar and tried that, still nothing, back and let the bleach soak in and it took it off. put it all back together, but there was a little stain left so I worked a little harder scrubbing and finally got it to come up. We could compare it to life and the repentance process. Repentance isn't easy. Sometimes we find ourselves doing something that leads to something else such as finding the big mess. we try to hide it with bleach and it goes for a little bit, but doesn't get everything. so we try something else go to a different place to be healed, but still nothing. finally we go to the source of the problem and the one who can fix everything else. The savior. He sprays the bleach, lets it soak and helps to make us clean. At first it isn't easy, but as we work on it and keep trying He takes that pain and guilt away, the scum, grit and grime in us, out.
He lives and love us. He payed the dearest price for you and me that we can return to live with him. It is our duty to do all we can to make our lives in accordance with his will so that we can be together forever.
Love you all! Thanks for all your support! :)
Love,


_\../ Elder Karlson \../_


Arizona Tucson Mission
939 W Chapalla Drive
Tucson, AZ 85704

Thursday, September 1, 2011

30 August 2011

Yo mamma,

it is great!!! life is good!! ok i have one word for you!! HOT!! it doesn't cool off here either!!! at 10 pm last night it was still 103 and not got any cooler! it was 111 thursday or so and hasn't gotten any cooler than about 90!!! but I LOVE IT! i'm not looking forward to the cooler weather!!! Not at all!!! well i'll send the family email soon! love you!!! and yes i do have a new companion!!

Love you Elder Karlson!!

alrighty it has been a totally nutty and crazy week this week!! I'm not sure what to say, but our investigator CAME TO CHURCH for the second time!!! it is such a milestone for her!! she was taught by the sister missionaries back in well like 2000-2005 and well she never went to church and really didn't have much interest in the church! she now has come 2 weeks in a row and even said she liked Stake Conference! that is a first!! i remember last stake conference about 6 months ago we had a baptism following that! it was so great and we have another one ready to go on the 11 of Sept! the lord works in mysterious ways and well it has been amazing! :) I am so excited for this next transfer and can't wait for it to begin! my companion should be here at 3pm coming in from the gila valley about 2 hours away! :) i love it!!! I've heard he is really apostate, but the only thing president told me was teach him how to obey and don't put up with any crap! ooh boy those are inspiring words! :) Teach him and get him BUSY and learn the language! :) can't wait!! He is elder Thacher. I'm not sure anything about him, no preassumed notions on my part so we shall see!! i'll be keeping you up to date!! love you!!!
Elder karlson
--

_\../ Elder Karlson \../_


Arizona Tucson Mission
939 W Chapalla Drive
Tucson, AZ 85704




22 August 2011

Well it has been a rather interesting week with a really different outcome than i used to. I was teaching our investigator, Kelly, about the Restoration of the Gospel on Tuesday. I had Elder Christiansen with me. He is my District Leader. He is from American Falls, but some of his family is from Burley. Christiansen Implements. any who, we were waiting for a member to show up for our lesson, but deems she was late we started anyway thinking that she stood us up. so I was teaching, seeing that he doesn't know much sign language, and for some reason we ended up reading in 3 Nephi 11. Before starting the lesson I told him just to sit tight and if he wanted to add anything that he could at anytime and i would sign it for him. He agreed. I taught for almost 20 minutes, but our member hadn't shown up yet for our lesson to explain and get her to come to church. I simply continued, I then felt an overwhelming sense of peace, cause i was worried that the member would be offended that we had started, but as i finished up the first vision she showed up and shared her testimony of it and how it had impacted her life. she was just baptised on May 7. it was a great lesson. We got back into the car and I turned to him and asked what he thought. he looked at me and said i understood almost everything. i gave him a dirty look and then asked him what i taught. He said it word for word. almost exactly how i taught it!! it was absolutely amazing! :) The Lord is blessing us, just taking the time now to gain the trust back from the members and get them to do their missionary work again! It is a great blessing to be here at this time! :)
I love it!

hope all to be well!!

love you!

--

_\../ Elder Karlson \../_


Arizona Tucson Mission
939 W Chapalla Drive
Tucson, AZ 85704





15 August 2011

Familia,
Alright so this week has been a total crazy week! lots of things happening, but it has been truly stressful most often more than this OLD body can handle!!!! It for sure has been a great challenge and a burden, but the lord has been helping to get me through!! I started out the week this week in the English program worked there on Sunday and Monday, then recieved a call from president Killpack on tuesday morning that he would like for me and my 2 companions to meet with him at his office at 2 pm. I was a little nervous being that I wasn't sure what was going to be happening and all!!! Well I now am transferred back to the Deaf program and am working there with Elder Pickett for the time being! That has been the biggest challenge for me so far having to teach with no one really to back me up!! He has been learning now for 6 days and still can't introduce himself or spell his name it is really difficult for me!! Given time I think he can do it, but I hope my patience will endure that long!! I even had ice cream if that will tell you how high strung i have been recently! scary! haha!

But it is amazing to see the blessing that we have received recently. God really has been by us and helped to buoy us up and keep us going!! we found a new investigator this week! Kelly is her name. Is a really interesting character and loves to smoke, but hopefully we can get her to stop!! she has a desire to learn and go to church so we will see what happens.

you all take care and enjoy your week at the fair! :)
Love you!!!


_\../ Elder Karlson \../_


Arizona Tucson Mission
939 W Chapalla Drive
Tucson, AZ 85704






8 August 2011

Family,

It's been a pretty interesting week and well quite a busy week at that!! The Lord has been taking care of us and helping us to accomplish his work! :)
We spent a lot of time in the House as we are living with members. One of my companions was sick this week and so as a result we all had to stay home, kind of a bummer, but learned a lot. Elder Pickett and I read conference talks and watched a few church movies, meanwhile, our other companion slept and tried to get better!!! We got 2 new investigators this week from the efforts of the stake president counsiler, it was really neat because they are all really involved in scouting and specifically Woodbadge, as well as Philmont! so most of our teaching is rooted around the scouting values and experiences that they or I have had as well as applying the gospel principles to it and helping them to find the gospel through it both scouting and teaching it has truly been a great experience for us! I had the opportunity to go on exchanges with the District Leaders companion this week In Corona de Tucson. E. Kasat is from Chile, so his english is well little weak with a really thick accent he has learned a lot! He will go home soon in October! we had a great time. It is in the middle of NO WHERE and well they really don't have roads you just kinda go where ever you want to go! it is really cool!! This week has been a pretty good week, not to complain but I am ready for a companion and to get back to the Deaf program. having 2 companions isn't really that much fun. alot of laughs and all, but really hard to get into homes with what looks like the FBI!

Have an awesome week and stay remotely cool! it has been beautiful here mid to upper 90's just perfect! :)

Love you!

--

_\../ Elder Karlson \../_


Arizona Tucson Mission
939 W Chapalla Drive
Tucson, AZ 85704






1 August 2011

Alright so this week has been well not necessarily the Ideal week as a missionary, in terms of finding and teaching, but has been an awesome week in terms of development and learning to cope with the things that are coming our way!! :)
We found 3 new investigators this week and well they aren't the most solid, but they will be by the time I leave this area! They are really excited to share and do and to learn, as we are excited to help in their progression!!! I guess you could think of it as older people when they fall they have a difficult time getting back up and moving again. Millions and Billions of people are in that situation at this very moment, They have fallen and can't get up! They are trying, but the only way they will get up and stay up is through the gospel of Jesus Christ!!! Through Faith in Jesus Christ, Repentance, Baptism, Receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end (the hardest part for us all). As we keep getting up every time we fall, it makes it easier for us to get through the challenges of life and keep going!

Copy this to you address bar or double click on it and watch it!

https://lds.org/youth/video/same-jersey?lang=eng

These 2 young men will be coming here next week and will do a fireside for the youth!! It will be truly exciting and hopefully will help to boost their missionary efforts! :)

Elder Bradley or I will be getting transferred soon to another mission and will bring in another elder from that mission to replace him! It will be interesting! :)
I'm looking forward to it, but truly do miss him. The lord has a reason for everything and He knows the best! So it is looking up!
I went to church at the deaf branch this week and they were truly truly happy to see me! :) I can't wait to get back there!!! :) Hopefully the end of this week! :)
After church I interpreted for a lady in the rita ranch ward! I never thought I could do that, but the Lord is blessing me and helping us to accomplish his work!! :)
The Lady said she hadn't been to Relief Society in almost 1 year because she couldn't understand it! Crazy! it is great to be able to help!
I love it here! :) can;t wait to get back to work! :)
Love you all!!!
--

_\../ Elder Karlson \../_


Arizona Tucson Mission
939 W Chapalla Drive
Tucson, AZ 85704






Tuesday, July 19, 2011

19 July 2011

Alright so this week has been super busy and well I'm not sure where to start!! We have our one investigator who is progressing quite well towards baptism, but she announced to us that she will be moving at weeks end! uuh!! other than that well we haven't been able to find any other people to teach!! Searching in a haystack is kind of difficult, but it is getting better!! :) there are many new things going to happen real soon!! the mission president is ready to do and to really be and help us to to the same!!
We have been really busy with the branch this week!!! I have worn every hat in the branch except relief Society President this week, as well as was given a new calling!!!! hmmm.... Branch Executive Secretary on top of all the other callings that we have!! Home teacher, Counsilor in the Branch presidency, .......... It's been a great experience!!!! I'm almost done reading the handbook of instruction, and well quite frankly there are alot of things in there I didn't now even really mattered, but wow...

We have been extremely blessed even if it isn't in the finding of new investigators, but in the bringing of those who were once lost, find themselves, for the second time!! Less Active members have been working their way back!!! It is great to see the fruits of our labors and really have the opportunity to help even if it is not in baptising people it is like that all over again for them!!!!

The church is true!! God lives, Loves us and wants for us to be with him again!!! as we do as he asks and follow his teachings we will be blessed and be able to live in his presence together again! Remember there are to be no Empty chairs in heaven!!! I love you!!!
Great to hear from you all!!
:)

_\../ Elder Karlson \../_


Arizona Tucson Mission
939 W Chapalla Drive
Tucson, AZ 85704

11 July 2011

So The Lord works in mysterious Often times we aren't sure what the heck it is for and Why we are experiencing it!
Yesterday in the branch a lot of stuff happened. We replaced all the Priesthood leaders from their various callings and replaced them along with in the next 2 or 3 weeks will be changing out the Relief Society. We finally have an Elders Quorum President now, along with the High Priest Group Leader :) I never thought I would see the day that it happened and well it did!!! :) The Stake Presidency That we have is very supportive of the missionary program and is very concerned of the welfare of all in his jurisdiction it is rather phenomenal :)

This week has been The most up and down week I think in the entire mission and for sure the only week we have taught very few lessons :( It seems when we work our butt off and give it all we can it doesn't seem to work, but when we don't everything starts to happen, but we keep working our butt off until something will happen!! The Lord is working very hard to make us who he needs to be and quite frankly it's great!!

I have had to preside in sacrament meeting now for 2 weeks! it has been rather stressful. It is amazing how the Lord helps us to learn to love the people even more and gives us the responsibility to do so!! The Branch president has been out of town for about 2 weeks in Ogden, Utah for a deaf convention, and well it has been a new challenge. It feels like it has been almost a completely sleepless week! The mission president even asked me why my eyes were red!! I almost fell asleep while driving and well it's been a great opportunity, but im glad it is only for 2 weeks!

I love the work here and can't wait to get this week rolling! :)

Love you all!!!
_\../ Elder Karlson \../_


Arizona Tucson Mission
939 W Chapalla Drive
Tucson, AZ 85704

6 July 2011

Alrighty, so I'm not for sure what to say again this week!! not a whole lot going on, but it has been a pretty humbling, and exciting week for us! WE GOT RAIN! that is the exciting part!
It seems that all we have the opportunity to do now is drive and see the view of the city all too much!! Going from deaf house to deaf house really gets a bit frustrating, but that is where it gets to be humbling. I've had a lot of time to talk with my companion recently, about the work about some of the struggles we are having and what we need to do to get more of the work progressing!! we met with the new mission president... By the way is really awesome!!! He is really motivated to get things done here!! He hadn't been here 24 hours and we got in to see him in his office and discuss the deaf branch and the work here!! He seems really motivated to help us!!! I have been real humbled this week to have the opportunity to see the potential that the branch has and the opportunity to preside in Sacrament meeting!! can you say scary? well it was and we started on time for the first time in quite sometime! :) The work is going well and the Lord is truly blessing us and helping us to become and helping others to come unto Christ! We don't realize what we have and often times we take if for granted. We move forward even if we don't see anyone beside my companion all day! he is fun to be with yes, just often time we see no person to share the gospel with it will often get frustrating, but the Lord knows it is for a reason and will help us no matter what we do.
Press forward with a steadfastness in Christ having a perfect brightness of hope and a love of God and of all men... That is our call!

Zone conference tomorrow and I can't wait to see what it is we will do to get this back up and running!!! the Lord loves you!!!! I love you!! Have an awesome week! :)


_\../ Elder Karlson \../_


Arizona Tucson Mission
939 W Chapalla Drive
Tucson, AZ 85704