February 18, 2013

Hey there everyone!

Well, this week Elder Phelps and I ended up finishing up the doodles of the rest of the missionaries in the house... or in other words, Elder Phelps and I! Haha, how fun for us!

Well, the weather is finally cooling down here... the weather I think is super confused and bipolar. The majority of the week it has been pretty cold with rain and lots and lots of wind. I´m hoping that the Summer is finally getting the hint that I´m done with the heat and I need the Fall time! Hooray! So now it is a little more comfortable walking outside all day.

In other news, this week has been kinda crazy with everything. We had little time to do anything the first half of the week because we had a lot of meetings to go to and a mission conference. The mission conference was super great, Presidente Martinez talked about how the second coming is definitely getting closer because the Lord´s work is speeding up and the need for more missionaries has increased drastically. He also talked a lot about the Gathering of Isreal and the othere promises that the Lord gave to Abraham. It definitely made me reflect more about the many promises that God has made and the many profecies that are being fulfilled in our time... but nothing to get scared about! :) How great a time to be a missionary to help the work of the Lord progress!

Well, apart from a lot of meetings and a mission conference that took up an entire day, we have been hunting for a new house to be able to hold a total of 6 missionaries. Presidente Martinez informed us that we need to find a house because this next cambio 2 more missionaries are coming to Galvarino.... so we have been house hunting! We just might of found a house... and today we are going to stop by to look at it from the inside... but from the outside it looks like it will work just fine! So we will have to see how that goes for us!

Well, in the mission we have all taken an oportunity to recieve a blessing super grande! And I´m extending this invitation to all of you, friends, family, whoever reads this big email bloggy thing. The challenge is to read the Book of Mormón in 3 months. It is possible if you read at least 3 chapters every single day for 3 months, now that isn´t too hard is it? Nope! If you read more than 3 chapters a day you´ll be able to finish it faster! Okay, here is the really great part... the blessings that you´ll recieve if you do accomplish reading the Book of Mormón in three months.

The blessings are as listed:

1. A more profound testimony of our Saviour and a greater love for him.

2. A renewed desire to keep the commandments of God.

3. A greater portion of the spirit will be poured upon you in your life!

I don´t know about you, but I think those are some great blessings to recieve... Please do it!! I´ve taken the challenge and already I feel so blessed in my life!

Well, I have to go to a special meeting on Wednesday this week with Presidente Martinez, the assistants, and a bunch of other random missionaries from all of the mission... so I´m guessing it has to do with this next cambio that is going to happen in the next week. I have a few guesses of what is going to happen... but I will just have to wait and see! Elder Manzanos is getting a little more excited about working everyday, so progress! Woot!

I love you all so much! I hope you are all doing great! Until next Friday!!!! Take care!

Con mucho amor,

Elder Garrétt

February 11, 2013

 

Hey there everybody!

I hope you have all been well and enjoying the cold still! I imagine that things are starting to heat up a tiny bit... but not too much! Here things are going great, and 2 days ago we were delited to find that it got really cloudy and then it started to rain and rain and rain! Today it is still raining! SIGH!!!! Such a nice relief from the hot! The rain makes everything seem so much nicer and cleaner here in Chile! :)

So this past week I have still been battling the opposition, but the good thing is that things are getting better and a little more easier with my comp. I´m helping him to be a little less lazy everyday... so there is progress even if it isn´t as instant as instant oatmeal... but so much more satisfying... (I don´t like oatmeal....) So things will just keep continuing to progress, because if we aren´t progressing in this life we are just going backwards and nothing good comes out of that! :P

So, this last week we were able to have a few really nice things happen. We are seeing an increase in the excitement of a lot of the members to share the gospel and to help us visit people that we are teaching. Although in this moment we only have one investigator that has accepted a baptizm date, I´m so excited that everyone else we are teaching are right at the edge of accepting and that is really all they need to do! But that is the hard part, helping them see the blessing that they can recieve and to help the spirit be there in the lessons so that they have a real conversion that takes place in the hearts of the people... those types of conversions are the best!

So our convert Sheryl who was baptized in January, she told us a few days ago some awesome news! She is moving a little more down south in Chile! That is really good news and I see it as a blessing from God because she said that before being baptized everything was just going wrong in her life, but then after, the things just seemed to get easier and she felt God´s love. She´s been looking for a job for quite a while and right after getting baptized, and then finding an amazing job? I don´t think that is coincidence and neither does she. She is so happy and was bearing her testimony to us about that. It is great to see the promises in the scriptures come to life! When we follow our Heavenly Father´s commandments, he starts blessing us in our lives!

Well, so yesterday I reached my 18 month mark in the mission... wow... time is just flying by so quickly! I want to make the most of my mission everyday! I don´t want to stop and take a break and break the rules because that makes no sense to me... isn´t it better just to be happy that we can be serving God? The rest of our lives happen afterwards and I know that much more is waiting for me after... but now is the time and the place to do what I am doing and I have seen so many blessing in my life and in the lives of others that I am so excited to keep on going! So here I am, just working and loving the Lord´s Vineyard... and there is no stopping me from enjoying the Lord´s work, I´m going to miss it in 6 months more, I´m sure of that!

I love you all so much, and I hope you are all doing well! Keep sending the cold weather, I´m loving the rain! :)

Con mucho amor,

Elder Garrett

 

Doodles of Elder Camargo and Elder Manzanos... Elder Phelps and I drew them together!

February 4, 2013

Hey there everybody!

Another week seemed to pass by so quickly! I´m still here in Los Angeles fighting the deathly heat! Where are the clouds and rain of the Chilean Wintertime?... oh, I suppose I still have to wait for a few months for the rain to come back! Jajajaja,

Well, as you can see from these pictures, we had another baptizm on Saturday! :) His name is Pedro York Estéfano Cheguan Contreras.... a very long name, but he goes by York. We found him looking for an inactive family on the ward directory, and we were able to work with the leaders of the ward to reactivate the parents while we were teaching the gospel to them and thier son. It was amazing to see the change in this family. Originally the idea was that his Dad could baptize him, but due to the chilean laws, the parents have to wait 9 months until they can get married now.... it´s rather strange, so the parents decided that it would be better to baptize their son now instead of waiting 9 more months. The incredible change was that in about 2 weeks the Mom was able to quit smoking entirely and the father stopped drinking. This really is the Lords work, and with the spirit we can accomplish great and marvalous things in our lives! :)

We are still facing a lot of opposition here in the heat of the summer... Everyone seems to be out of town and those who are still here are leaving! When I was with Elder Hinckley, about 80-90 members went to church every week... but yesterday there were only 46 who showed up to church... YIKES!!! The Bishop is a little disappointed with the members who should be showing up but they decide not too... but he is a very wise man and he was able to give a great testimony to the members about the Sabbath-day. This heat is not only affecting the members but a bit of my comp and another missionary in my District... they have been acting kinda a lot lazy lately.... it is a little frusterating when I want to go out and work and have fun working and to be able to teach and share and testify... but my comp doesn´t want to do all of that.... I have to help him out to see the importance of what we do. I love him to death, but he needs to snap out of this lazy stage! But I´m glad that when he does work, he can work with happiness. His excuse is that he is "old" in the mission... but I have less time left than him.... he is rather silly!

I´m just glad that I have a love for this work and that it is one of the funnest and most exciting things that I can be doing with my life in this moment. There is nothing sweeter than to see the gospel change the lives of others! I hope all of you are doing well and that you are having fun in the cold! I love you all so much! Take care!

Con mucho amor,

Elder Garrett