Well, we've only got two weeks left now. That's so fast. It's crazy to think that in two weeks I'll be teaching my first lesson with a real investigator.... and that they probably won't understand me. And I probably won't understand them... Exciting, isn't it? We are so excited, and are trying really hard to keep working these last two weeks. They're actually thinking of shortening MTC time by two weeks or so, and they almost observed our district because our teachers taught us at a faster pace. That would be nice, but I'm grateful I've got two more weeks to get more language skills down before I get dropped off in Santiago.

We had to say goodbye to both of our teachers this week, which was really rough. I wish you could've met Hermano Sheide. He's Jake's age, and his three years of teaching here were up. He was so awesome. He has more faith and enthusiasm than anyone I've ever met. When I think of Joseph Smith, I think of Hermano Sheide. I think we will all be better missionaries because of his influence on us. He didn't only teach us Spanish, he taught us how to be missionaries, to be the best missionaries we can be. I may be able to send pictures today... we'll see if that works out.

Dad would've liked what one of the seventies who spoke on Sunday said. He told us to "remember the dignity of our call" and "don't lapse back into stupidity."  He also said that the sun comes up every morning and we can start over, and become better every day.

He wanted us to memorize the last words of Nephi, which were: "for thus hath the Lord commanded me, and I must obey. Amen." I know through my obedience, Heavenly Father has blessed me with the Spirit abundantly, and it's such a blessing for me and the people I teach. We had a great experience teaching one of the other missionaries who was acting as a less active friend. The spirit prompted me to bear a very particular testimony, story, and scriptures. Up to this point he had been unresponsive to us. The spirit was so strong, and I could see in his eyes that the Lord finally provided a way to get through to him, because we were finally listening to the spirit and the investigator.

Heavenly Father only gives us a witness after the trial of our faith. In Ether 12:6,12, Moroni says that "faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith.... for if there be no faith among the children of men God can do no miracle among them; wherefore, he showed not himself until after their faith." It's crazy how much my faith has grown in the past month and a half. Jake sent me a quote that I can't quite remember, but it was something along the lines of how day by day we don't think anything is changing, but if you look back over a month, everything has changed. If we have any fear or doubt, we cannot work miracles, only through faith.

Well I'm done now, but I have a scripture to share. In Alma 26:37, it says "God is mindful of every people, whatsoever land they may be in; yea, he numbereth his people, and his bowels of mercy are over all the earth. Now this is my joy, and my great thanksgiving; yea, and I will give thanks unto my God forever." I testify that that is true and that God is mindful of all his children. I promise that if you will ask in faith, sincerely, and really intend to act on the answer, God will answer you, because He answers me.

Elder Garrett