Masa laa Ch'ool! Guatemala Summer 2009

I had the amazing, eye-opening, life-changing opportunity to go to Guatemala this summer for a humanitarian project. Singular Humanitarian teamed up with Choice Humanitarian for the largest expedition Choice has ever seen. There were 90 of us, and it was a huge success. We were in the remote Polochic Valley in the small villages around the mountain. Some of the activities we were involved in were teaching in the schools, teacher training, building a middle school, putting in a water system, building a school kitchen, medical/dental clinic, Rural Health promoter training, midwife training, finance workshops, etc. I spent most of my time teaching, interpreting for the medical clinic, and building the middle school. I even got to help clean teeth!
The people there speak mostly Q'echi'. I tried to learn as much as I could in the short time I was there. Mostly phrases like "You are Crazy" and "You are my friend." The kids at school taught me "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes."

I was so touched by the warmth and kindness of the Polochic people. They were grateful and generous. I was very touched by the whole experience. They have so little physically but are so rich in love and goodness. What a BEAUTIFUL people they are!

Summer 2009 (Part 1)

I love to see the Temple (June 2009)

The summer began with a two week nanny job for a family whose children attend the school where I teach. The highlight for me was taking the kids to the Oquirrh Mountain Temple open house. I learned some great lessons from those kids and their experience at the temple.
5-year-old Ryder was so reverent and respectful in the temple. He walked around with his arms folded and whispered the whole time. He had a special experience at the temple, and I wrote down some of the things that he said.

• In the temple:"This is so awesome!"
• Afterward in the reception hall: "That was cleaner than ever!!"
• "Did we earn this?!"
• In the car on the way home: "I don't feel like saying any bad words...I hate when I say bad words, bad words are bad!"
• "If we earn it, can we come to the temple again?"
• "Can we come to the temple tomorrow?"
• "I'm SO happy that you took us to the temple...Thank you for taking us to the temple, Miss Carrie!"

I was touched by his sweet impressions in that very sacred place and his tender feelings on what a privilege it is to visit the house of the Lord. We could all take a lesson from sweet Ryder.

"But He was asleep"

I taught the lesson in Relief Society a couple of Sundays ago. As I pondered and thought about what message the women might need to hear, I consulted with the Bishop as to what he would like each sister to know. He said, (in my summary), that he wished each sister would realize how completely cognoscente the Lord is of each of them. His tender mercies are over us. The blessings don't always come in the form we think they ought, but they always come.

The following is a video I made for my lesson. Sometimes we feel like the Lord is "asleep" in our lives, and that He has forgotten us and His promises are not sure. However, God ALWAYS fulfills his promises as we are obedient to his commandments. What a powerful concept. "Some blessings come soon, some come late, and some don't come until heaven; but for those who embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ, they come" (Jeffrey R. Holland An High Priest of Good Things to Come. October 1999).

The Secret

I love this video. I showed it to my class at the beginning of the year, and we talked about making this year our best. I truly believe each day we have is a miracle. Make it your best one so far.



President Gordon B. Hinckley said, "Life is like an old time rail journey...delays, sidetracks, smoke, dust, cinders and jolts, interspersed only occasionally by beautiful vistas and thrilling bursts of speed. The trick is to thank the Lord for letting you have the ride."

Three is a Magic Number

Presenting the Kids Village 2008/2009 Music Video.
I made this with my class. They had such a fun time!

All About Me

This is a video I made to show at our orientation meetings at Elderhostel. Everything you ever needed to know about Carrie. Presented by the students at Kids Village 2007-2008. The following information my or may not be 100% accurate. Enjoy!

Living with others in Peace and Harmony

Today in church we talked about living in peace and being peacemakers instead of quick to be offended. I was really touched by this video by President Gordon B. Hinckley.

Lessons I learned as a boy

When given the choice to tease or to uplift, I hope we choose to be the kind of people who make others feel good.