Monday, October 13, 2014

Ecuador, she has arrived!

Wow!  I can’t believe that I’ve been here for almost a week!  The people are amazing! It is so different, but really great! There are street vendors everywhere you look, along every road- selling everything from clothes to fruit to toilet paper--it’s crazy!  The people here are crazy drivers and just cross the road wherever as soon as there is an opening. Our apartment is on the third floor and is quite roomy, all the homes here are behind gates of some sort- you have to have them open it and then there is anywhere from one to a bunch of apartment- type homes.  It has been kind of interesting to be here and feel like I know absolutely zero Spanish…I felt okay when I left the MTC, but now I realize I didn´t know much of anything. 
We have done a lot of walking and the sidewalks are not very even; the streets are not paved, they are all like brick or cobblestone. Whenever we are going somewhere far, such as a lunch at a member’s home or to a conference or the chapel from our apartment, we take either a bus or a taxi- which has been a new experience, but a good one so far!
My companion is Hermana Colvin, from Las Vegas, and she goes home in February! 
We have a great branch- yesterday we had 5 confirmations! 
The food...has been pretty good so far, a lot of rice, the only thing I haven’t liked so far is the verde, it is like green banana smashed and it tastes nasty and has a weird texture...but I have been told it will be given to us a lot, so I have to learn to like it :(  usually it is half a plate of rice, with a piece of meat, not very big, and we´ve had corn and fries---it has been pretty good. 
We have been teaching lessons and visiting people since Thursday night, when we got here.  We have visited Maríbel, Nidia, Eduardo, Josephina and a few others, but it has been a challenge to try and understand everything they are saying, they talk faster than I am used to.
On Saturday, after we had visited everyone we had planned for the day, it was like 8:00ish, we were trying to find someone to teach, so we stopped and said a prayer and I had the thought we should go visit a member at her work...one of the little shops, that Hermana Colvin had been trying to introduce me to-- but she was never there when we stopped by.
Anyway, we stopped by and that is where we met Eduardo, who is her brother, so we were able to talk to him and taught him about the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith-- we got a baptismal date set for him!!! AND we are going back to teach him tonight!!  
It is so amazing to see the Lord work miracles each and everyday and to be the instruments that He works through a lot of the time!

Anyway, love you all!!   These next 15 1/2 months will fly by!!
Love,

Hermana Karlee Carter 

Saturday, October 11, 2014

Just a quick note that Karlee's travel plans changed to travel TUESDAY morning instead; then, Monday, we found that she had plans changed again to leave Tuesday NIGHT.  She ended up traveling with two Elders who were heading to Quito, as well.  They left SLC around 9 PM, flew into San Francisico and left there around 12 AM, and then flew into Miami...  they left Miami about 9 AM to arrive in Quito about 1 PM.  WHEW!!!  Crazy.

Week Five

So for starters, I did get travel plans on Friday!! I LEAVE MONDAY MORNING AT 4:30AM!!!! 
Can you believe it is here already!!
Tuesday was awesome! We got to hear from M. Russell Ballard! It was so good! Then, Sunday night heard from Steven B Allen, who is the managing director of the missionary department!  It was super good-- about the first vision!
It is kind of nice that we are moving to main campus on Thursday, since that way I only have to unpack my carry-on since I will be there for 3 days.... we move Thursday, have class in the afternoon and evening and then, Friday is our in-field training, Saturday and Sunday are conference and then I leave.....P.S you have to watch Priesthood session!! Our elders are singing in the choir!! 
We havent seen the Women’s broadcast yet, we get to watch it during the Priesthood session! 
Sorry it is such a short letter this week!!
 I hopefully will get to email again this weekend since I leave Monday, but we’ll see.

Love you forever and always

karlee jo carter

PS… also have to tell you of an experience we had on Sunday!
We were trying to find a movie to watch and all the ones we went to were full, so we were heading back to the movie we had already seen and knew there was enough room for all of us, when we ran into some elders that are native Spanish speakers and learning English! It was super cool because one of the Elders Hermana Bitton and I were talking to is from Quito!! --and his family is still there!!! --and he will be serving in SLC!  It was so fun, we talked to them in Spanish and then in English and it was good practice for all of us, but it was also SUPER fun!!! A lot better than any of the movies!!

First temple trip

District with Branch Presidency

Elders from Sunday night... the one on the right is from Quito

Sisters in the District

Last temple trip