July 25 we have a runner!!

Hey everyone! I'm actually in the city today on the computer because
we have an activity with the other missionaries today. The jungle
continues to suit me very well I'll be honest. I have been having a
blast this past week with Elder Hardy. He's a great missionary and I'm
grateful to be with him during the last weeks of my mission. I have
been doing a lot of biking, and Elder Hardy has finally convinced me
to go running with him in the mornings hahah so we've been getting
into pretty good shape! At the beginning of church yesterday we had a
grand total of 6! hahah but after awhile a couple families came in and
we had about 20 or so. It was so funny sitting in an almost empty room
when the branch president got up and started the meeting, but that's
just how it goes here in Uitkijk. We helped a lady in a village stamp
some material so that she could make some pots out of it. That's her
whole profession pretty much, then she goes to the city to sell them.
We also taught a less active who has a pet monkey that is the exact
same one from night at the museum! It even looks exactly the same it
was pretty sweet. When me and Elder Hardy go running we run to a
bridge by the apartment and it's super beautiful from up there. I love
this area a ton. There are a lot of stressful things that come with
it, mainly just how far away everything and everyone is. But i've
enjoyed having such a beautiful area and teaching such humble people.
I hope that this finds you all well and that you have a great week!
Elder Carpenter

July 18 They eat monkey's. (not the missionaries. the people who live there)

Hello everyone! I don't have a ton of time today since i need to print
out a form and do some other stuff today but Uitkijk is awesome!! It's
such a cool area, i've seen like 20 snakes already! Hahah and the
roads are so long they just go on forever it seems like... The
farthest place we bike to is a place called Groningen and it's about
an hour and a half, over like 20 or 30 kilometers away or something
like that, it's just insane. But it is so beautiful and I loved church
this sunday. We are the smallest branch, we had 15 people yesterday
and that is pretty normal, sometimes more and sometimes less. I loved
it though it's just such a cool little atmosphere. We already put a
guy on date! His name is 'A' and one of the brothers from the
church named Br. B picked him up for us and brought him! He
expressed a desire to be baptized while in the church service and so
it looks like Uitkijk's attendance will be going up by one just now!
Elder Hardy is also just the coolest guy. We quote star wars and
spongebob together most of the hours while we're biking together and
so it's a great time naturally, hahah. He is from Las Vegas and is a
very good and hard working missionary. So far it has been just a great
time and some good memories, which I'm sure will continue the next 5
weeks!! Anyways I love you all and hope you have a wonderful week!!!
Elder Carpenter

 A Kingsnake he assured me was not poisonous

 Saying goodbye to Elder Geigenmiller

  Pet birds.  They used to have a pet monkey......then they ate it! :O not. kidding. :(

July 11 Uitkijk

Hey everybody! I hope that you're all doing well, I am doing

fantastic! Because I just found out that I'm going to the Jungle in

UITKIJK!!! Hahah I am going to spend my last transfer there with Elder

Hardy! He is a super cool Elder and I am so excited for it! The

uitkijk area is crazy, it's huge and the furthest away from the city.

Some of the members live over an hour bike ride away! So it seems like

I'll be returning home not only with honor, but with some really solid

thighs. Hahah they only get like 8 or 9 people in church some weeks

which will definitely take some getting used to but the area is

beautiful and it's the area with the highest chance of seeing

anacondas, crocodiles, and sloths :) hahah I am very excited for the

opportunity to go here, although saying goodbye to everyone here in

wanica south has been very difficult so far :( I love the people here

but i know that Uitkijk is where I'm needed next. I hope that I can

fulfill my purposes there these next few weeks and really make it a

meaningful time. We had a really cool experience just a couple of days

ago as well when we heard that one of our investigators sons was in

the hospital! We visited them the night he got released and he asked

us if we could pray for him, we told him we could do more than just

that and give him a blessing with the priesthood. He readily said that

he would like that, and we gave him a powerful blessing. The next

Sunday, he came to church with our investigator! And is now taking the

lessons and is close to receiving a baptismal date, his name is 'M'

and I am so excited to see how he progresses after I leave. I hope you

all have a wonderful week and I will tell you all about Uitkijk next

Monday!!

Lobi!

Elder Carpenter

July 4 Happy Birthday America!

HELLO EVERYONE!! This was a wonderful week! I hope that you all are
having a wonderful fourth of july right now!!!
We saw a lot of cool things happen this week, we set a baptismal date
with a woman named 'C' and her daughter for august 6th and she's
super excited!! One of our investigators also just got up in sacrament
meeting and gave her testimony! Her name is sister 'S' and she
talked about how much she loved the church and how much she loves when
we come by and visit her, she is also super close to accepting a date
as well! We are so excited for all of the cool things and grateful as
well. This is the last week of the transfer which means in a few days
I'll find out where I die! :O But not to worry me and Elder
Geigenmiller have been very good at sprinting to the end and I don't
think that will change regardless of who I'm with or where I am. I
love the time I have to be a missionary! I am grateful for the people
I serve and for all of the wonderful people who help and support me. I
hope that you all have a great day and I'll be sure to let you all
know where I'm headed next week!!
Lobi!
Elder Carpenter

June 27 Nearing the end..... Of rainy season

Hello family and friends, I was prettyyyyyy sick this week :( but i am
since then recovered and so there's no need to worry :p I don't even
know if it was a jungle virus or the flu or what but it was pretty
annoying. Despite the setbacks we still had a great week and we were
able to baptize 'G!' He was so excited to get baptized and there
were a lot of people who came to support him and it was great to see.
We also have a great new investigator named 'C,' she has a
mother who is a member but she's very old and sick, and 'C' goes
by almost every day to visit and take care of her, they talk a lot and
recently 'C' has been getting more interested in the church and
so we've started to teach her. She has a great understanding which is
a nice change of pace and I could really see her becoming a great
member someday! People are saying that the rainy season is about to
come to an end and I'm very grateful for that as well. I can finally
stop carrying my giant umbrella around, it sticks off my bike like 3
feet and has probably brought me closer to death than all of my
mosquito borne illnesses combined. People just drive way too close to
you while you're biking but that's just life here I suppose. Anyways I
hope that you all have a great week!
Lobi!
Elder Carpenter