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We had a really great week this week. But before I get to that, I have a cool story about a missionary in our mission.

He is either from Ecuador or Paraguay... not sure. He and his whole family were Jehovah´s Witnesses his whole life. He says he didn´t like the Mormons. But one day when he was 17 he decided to let the Mormon missionaries talk to him. He felt the spirit and wanted to keep meeting with them. His parents refused to let him meet with them in their home. So, he would sneak out of his bedroom window, which was on the second floor, in order to meet with the missionaries in a park. He decided he wanted to get baptized, but his parents refused. As he was under 18, he needed parental permission to be baptized. He stayed up all night one night practicing his mom´s signature, signed the paperwork the missionaries gave him and didn´t tell them he´d forged it.

His parents were very upset, maybe even furious, that he chose to get baptized. He snuck out of the second story window every week for church. His Bishop told him he should serve a mission, and he decided he wanted to. He gathered all of the clothing and other things he would need, and he and his Mormon friends would sneak them into the house through the second story window. He didn´t tell his parents he was going on a mission until the day before he was going to leave for the MTC.

When he told them, they were furious. They told him he didn´t even have any clothes to take, at which point he showed them the suitcases and clothing he´d bought on his own. His mom told him, "If you go, don´t come back." He was completely rejected by his family.

Now we get to the cool part. Four months in to his mission, he got an email from an ex-girlfriend. The Lord softened the hearts of his family. Not only did his parents get baptized, but, in one day, 32 members of his immediate and extended family got baptized.

We had a very busy week this week. We decided we really wanted to complete our goal of 140 contacts this week (10 each, every day). But, because we were so busy, there were days where we didn´t quite get them done. Yesterday, we did 42 contacts. We made it. There were even times when I was talking to one person and Elder Kelson was talking to another. That was a little tough, but I did alright. We knocked so many doors and talked to everyone we could. We were very much blessed to find several really good potential investigators.

The Bishop had asked us to focus our efforts on two certain streets. I have no doubt he was inspired, because we found a lady who has clearly been prepared by the Lord. Her name is Mariela. She attended a certain church with her family for about 7 years. She had some concerns, though, and talked to the pastor about them. She was concerned that it seemed like because she didn´t have much money she wasn´t really accepted there. Also, she was concerned because the pastor didn´t exactly practice what he preached. She brought this up. He told her that she was a child of the devil and that she was going to hell. She was shocked. Her family sided with the pastor and completely rejected her from the church, and from the family.

She told us she didn´t want to believe him, but was still worried nonetheless, not only for herself, but for her children. She really opened up to us and talked for quite a while. We taught her a little bit about the restoration. Not only did we give her the restoration pamphlet, but we also gave her a Book of Mormon, because she really likes to read, and really needs some peace and comfort in her life. On top of that, she asked us what her purpose in being here is. So, we also gave her a Plan of Salvation pamphlet.

She is so meek and humble and she really wants to know where the truth is. She´s been investigating churches and reading the Bible to try and find it. We are very excited to work with her.

Other cool experience. We contacted this lady who told us we could pass by a certain day. She then told us she was actually Mormon. But she was inactive and had a bunch of weird ideas. She wanted to convert us to her ideas about God, and wanted to argue with us the whole time. We were patient, and started with a prayer. The Spirit seriously flooded the room. It was so strong that as we shared the message of the Restoration, she couldn´t argue, because she could not deny that she could feel the Holy Ghost. It was a really incredible experience, and we were invited back.

Watch general conference.

Elder Garrett