My Last Week

I guess this is the last email I will send you as a full time missionary in Chile.

I'll take advantage of this opportunity to share a last testimony to you as a missionary. It's basically the same thing I shared when I shared my testimony to say goodbye last Thursday in Zone Conference. 

As my time is coming to an end, I've been getting a little nervous about coming home. But during the mission I've learned to trust in God and I know that everything will turn out just right, as long as I cling to the iron rod, cling to what I know is right. I think the best decision I made was not the decision to go on a mission, but the decision I had to make several times to keep moving forward, not give up, even when it's been incredibly and unimagineably hard. Those were the decisions that made the difference. 

When we step forward with faith, God paves the way. Even when the mist of darkness is so thick that we can't see the path ahead. 

I want to share what I've come to know on my mission. I know of a surety that Jesus Christ lives. I have come to know Him. He has always been there when nobody else could be, when I was terribly alone. He has changed me in ways I never imagined possible, and with that, my priorities and my destiny have changed. 

I know that the Book of Mormon is true. I have drunk deeply from it and found relief in it. I felt a burning fire in my chest that gave me the answer I sought to know if it was true.

I learned to apply the gospel and the Atonement in my life. I tried it out and it works. We always have the power to change for the better. 

I know that the church is true and that God has called prophets and Apostles to show us the way to be truly happy in this life, and the life to come. 

I know that obedience to God's commandments leads to happiness, and disobedience to them does not, even as enticing as it may seem. I have seen too many evidences of this in the lives of the people I've met.

This is my testimony, simply and perhaps poorly stated, but it's mine.

Elder Joseph Garrett 

TWO WEEKS!!

I've only got two weeks left!!

Today we went on a little trip to see the Andes mountains. It was really cool.... they're a little different from the Rockies. We only went as far as Portillo, a ski resort, and the Laguna del Inca. If you look it up on a map or on the Internet, you'll see that we were actually really close to Argentina. I think with mom and dad we'll go a little further. I've heard that there's a giant statue of Christ a little higher up. I'm also thinking about maybe crossing the border to see Argentina. 

La Laguna del Inca .... Portillo

I sent pictures, so you can see a little bit what it's like. We're still in Fall, so there isn't a whole lot of snow yet, but my companions from Peru, Colombia, and Costa Rica wanted to see snow for the first time in their lives. The funny part is that we got there, got out of the van, and when we stepped onto the first snow we saw, I said "This isn't snow, this is ice." That part was man made, and rock solid... haha. 

They played in the snow that wasn't man made and said that it almost reached their knees. I think they were exaggerating....  haha. It snowed about two weeks ago, so the snow wasn't exactly fresh. But they got to play in the snow, and that was what mattered. While they tried and failed to do a snow man, we ate lunch. Haha.  

 

In the man made snow

I'm looking forward to getting home and seeing you all.

Nos vemos pronto!!

Elder Joseph Garrett

3 Weeks

Well I've only got three weeks left. It's a little crazy, but I'm getting excited. It's going to end whether I'm happy or sad about it, so why should I be sad? 

On Friday I ran into an old investigator that we visited about 5 months ago, but in that time she just didn't have time to meet with us. I set up an appointment with her for Tuesday. Yesterday we were trying to contact some other people in that street. She was outside and she invited us in because everyone had rejected us. She is golden! She mentioned that she notices a difference in her life. A year and a half ago she was about to get baptized and was always participating in church activities and meetings. In those times, she said that everything worked out right. She started to cry and said that in the year that she's been away from the church everything has changed. She feels really bad about things she's done and wants to repent and be baptized. We talked about repentance and baptism and in her prayer she asked for strength to get back to the church and get baptized! We are so happy for her! 

She learned that something Elder Perry said is true, "Obedience to the law is liberty." We are free when we obey God's laws. And when we do not, we suffer the consequences. 

See you in three weeks!

Elder Garrett

 

Changes

Today we had changes, but it looks like I'll be staying here in Los Andes until the end! I think these last four weeks are going to fly. I can't really believe my mission is rapidly coming to an end. 

The other day I felt like we should pass by and see a sister from the ward. When we went by, she said she wasn't doing very well. We asked if there was something we could do for her. She asked for a blessing so we went and picked up one of her neighbors who is member to help us. After the blessing she asked me "How did you find out I was sick and needed a blessing? Who told you?" The truth is that the only person who'd told us was the Holy Ghost. 

This week we moved into a new apartment that is much smaller, costs much less, and is much closer to our sector. Last week we fasted for an investigator and at the same time fasted that we could get into a new apartment so we could stop losing time traveling. There was a hang up that day. The owner wanted President to be there to sign the contract, which is something unusual. He usually signs it in his office in Santiago and then the owner signs it later. We hadn't known that he'd wanted that. But that day President happened to be in Los Andes doing interviews, so the owner met him and they signed the contract right away. Everything worked out perfectly and this week we got into the apartment, which is right in front of the chapel. 

Anyway hope all is well. 

Chao

elder Garrett

Mother's Day

Today we went to Santiago and did a little souvenir shopping. We'll be going there with mom and dad too, I'm sure. Lots of great things.

I'm happy, and doing well. Hope everyone's doing well. Tell Marc congratulations for me, I'm excited that he'll be getting married in the temple.

Yesterday was mothers day, and I wanted to say Happy Mother's Day to Sister Aburto, because she has always taken care of me like mom would and always writes me letters of encouragement. We're not allowed to make phone calls to people from our past areas, so I just said a little prayer, asking for a chance to talk to her, and at about 9:00 we ran into her in the street. I hadn't seen her in over a month, even though we're living in the same city. It's incredible how God answers prayers, even when it seems like something that would be insignificant to Him.

Elder Garrett

The Spirit

That investigator that I told you about last week that met with the sister missionaries in her parents home got back this week and told us the story. The missionaries just kind of showed up, and remembering us, she let them in. She went to church with them and was very impressed. She said she'd been to many other churches, and had ended up becoming an atheist. But she said she felt something in our church that she'd never felt in any other church. She felt the Spirit. She told me that when I'd explained to her that God talks to us through the Spirit and makes us have peaceful feelings in our heart, she didn't understand, and was skeptical. But when she felt that in our church, she understood what I was talking about. She said "I'm not sure how to explain what I felt. Maybe that's why I didn't understand when you explained it, but now I understand, and I want my whole family to feel it, too."

She came back much more talkative, all the skepticism is gone! I noticed that she was much more cheerful now. 

Anyone can feel the Spirit.

Elder Garrett. 

I just wrote on Wednesday, so I'm not really sure what more to say.... I'm afraid this will be short...

Some investigators got married this week in the ward, and they asked the missionaries to do a musical number. I played the piano, and three of the elders sang. It turned out... mas o menos, haha. But they told me that the piano sounded good, haha. 

On Sunday some of the other elders had a baptism. They asked me to sing... but nobody else knows how to play the piano.... so I recorded it on the piano and Elder Florez faked that he was playing while I was singing, which caused a little bit of laughter. 

I had an experience in which I was a little disappointed with the way some people treated us. I thought to myself "God is trying my faith to see what my reaction will be." So I just kept moving forward with patience and felt a spiritual confirmation afterwards, that everything will be alright. 

Have a great week.

Elder Joseph Garrett