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

 

 

P Day on Wednesday

Well I guess you probably already realized that I didn't have Preparation Day on Monday... We went to the temple today, so our P Day was changed to Wednesday for this week. We have the chance to go to the temple once every year, and again the week before going home.... which is right around the corner.

Today as I sat in the temple and was pondering a couple of things, a verse of scripture popped into my head. I hadn't read that chapter of the Old Testament in a long time, and I realized that there just happened to be a Bible on the table next to me.  So I picked it up and started looking for that scripture. I found it, and started reading the whole chapter. To my amazement, the chapter was just what I needed in that moment. It was like God had inspired that chapter for me and for that moment and for those very circumstances.  God truly works in mysterious ways to answer our prayers. He inspired me to look up that verse, and as I read that chapter, I found the response to my prayers. 

We are teaching a younger married couple that we found about 3 or 4 weeks ago. We lost contact with them for a week, and when we found them again, the wife had gone out of town to visit her parents. She's been gone for 2 weeks now. When we talked to the husband, who is a member of the church, he said that she had called him recently. She asked if we were still visiting him. He said that we were, and she said that the sister missionaries in that distant city were also visiting her in the home of her parents, who are not members.  My companion and I almost started singing Hallelujah in the street because were so excited. They said that when she gets back, they want to go to church together. God truly does know how to do His own work. We arrived at a crucial time in their lives, and when she went away for a few weeks, God went looking for her, and sent the sister missionaries so that she would keep progressing. There was never any communication between us and the sister missionaries. They just showed up out of nowhere. 

There are always tough things that happen in our lives and God lets our faith be tried, but if we remember our faith and the things we've experienced, and we keep moving forward, God is always there with His tender mercies to remind us that we were right to trust in our faith, and He will strengthen us.

Brother Quezada shared a really great parable in a talk this Sunday. He said a man once was late for an appointment in a big city, and was looking for a place to park his car. He prayed to God, pleading him for a parking spot. He said "If you bless me with a parking spot now, I promise I will never again miss going to church on Sunday." The minutes were passing by, when suddenly he noticed that a car was pulling out of a parking spot. As he pulled in to that parking spot, and got out of the car, the man looked up at the sky and said: "Thanks anyway, I already found one."  Sometimes we act like that man, but we should always try to remember and recognize the things that God does for us. 

One night, as we planned for the next day, I felt like we should knock some doors in a certain part of town. But when we got there the next day, my companion and I looked at each other, and we both said, "No, let's go somewhere else, this is lame." So off we went on our bikes.

I saw a man walking down the street. I'm pretty sure he was the only person in the street. As I got closer to him I felt like I should talk to him. I stopped and said something like "Hi, how's it going neighbor?" He said "I'm doing good how are you, Elder?" I told him I was doing well. His next question was a little weird. He said "How old are you?" That's not the normal sequence of questions when we contact people, but I responded anyway. He asked me "Elder, why did you stop to talk to me?" I said, "I don't know, I just felt like I should talk to you." He then said "I know the Holy Ghost told you to talk to me. I served a mission in Colombia when you were just a baby. I've wanted to come back to the church for a long time. I've always seen the missionaries, but I never went out of my way to talk to them."  He recently had found out that his girlfriend was also an inactive return missionary who had also served in Colombia and who also wanted to come back to the church. He said that they'd been talking and had set a goal to be sealed in the temple. He told me he knew that God is looking for him. 

God doesn't forget about us. 

Chao.
Elder Joseph Garrett

Semana Santa

On Monday night I worked with Elder Florez and we stayed in his house. Then Tuesday morning we went to Santiago. We ate in a Columbian restaurant. It was a little expensive.... Elder Florez didn't mention that beforehand. At least it was good food.

Then we went to the office and met my new trainee. His name is Elder Vizcarra. He is from Lima, Peru and has been living in Chile for 4 years, in Iquique. He is my third companion from Lima...

Since this week we will be celebrating the atonement and resurrection of Christ, I wanted to share my testimony of Him. As I've spent almost two years away from home preaching His gospel, I feel I have come to know Him. I have felt the Holy Ghost testify of Him and of His divine mission. I feel sure of His reality because of the things I've felt.

For example, one night I found myself a little discouraged, stressed out, and I would even say a little depressed. I couldn't sleep well that night. I sat at my desk pondering about a lot of things. As I was reflecting, I received a spiritual prompting. It was like hearing a voice that said "Los que me buscan me hallarán," which I translate to mean "Those who seek me shall find me."

This phrase had nothing to do with anything I was thinking about. It simply dropped into my mind and heart. "Plop". I then felt a desire to get on my knees and pray. I asked my Father in Heaven to be close to me and strengthen me.

That night, I sought the Lord, at His invitation, and I found Him, as I'm sure that anyone can. I felt peace in my heart. I knew that He truly lives and is working in our midst. Even though we can never know what the future holds, I know that everything will turn out alright.

God is too wise to let us learn everything at once. (I think in our imperfection, we'd be condemning ourselves.) He lets us learn line upon line, precept upon precept. We progress in our knowledge and testimony until our faith turns into perfect knowledge.

However, if we don't seek Him, it will be hard to find Him. I like Nephi's simple but profound question to Laman and Lemuel: "Have ye inquired of the Lord?" They hadn't, they never did, and they never would receive the blessed heaven sent knowledge that Nephi received.

I have found peace, hope, and security for my life through Him. I know He lives, and I know He suffered our every sin and pain, and for that reason He knows how best to help us so that everything turns out well. Time after time, He has shown me that He is there for me when there is no one else to help me. I cannot deny that that help and support is heaven sent. I have felt His love.

I encourage you to seek Him, I echo the words of Moroni: "And now, I would commend you to seek this Jesus of whom the prophets and apostles have written, that the grace of God the Father, and also the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost, which beareth record of them, may be and abide in you forever. Amen." 

May we all receive the blessings that come from His atonement and resurrection, and always remember Him.

Elder Joseph Garrett

Terremotos!!!

There have been lots of earthquakes these past weeks. The big one was in Antofogosta, which is very far away from me.  I didn't even feel it.  We found out about it the next day. But there've been lots of other earthquakes in Chile this past week. One morning I woke up and everything was moving.... that was kind of a weird feeling. I said "Elder..." and my companion said "I'm awake," and then everything stopped moving and it was over.

Then one night a little before 11:30 the earth shook again. It was the biggest earthquake I've felt yet and everything in the house was shaking.... The worst part was that women and children in the neighborhood started screaming. That was a little creepy. I mean, it really wasn't that big. But, after what happened in Antofogasta, I think we all thought it was going to be a lot worse. The epicenter was about 45 minutes away from Los Andes in Quillota. 

It reminded me of a mormon message by Russell M. Nelson. I had always thought I would freak out if there was an earthquake... but I noticed that while other people were screaming, I was actually really calm. I'm sure it has to do with my faith and hope that everything is going to be okay, thanks to my knowledge of the gospel. 

http://www.mormonchannel.org/video/mormon-messages?v=1289877050001

I guess the big news is that we had changes today. Elder Ortiz went back to Santiago, and I'll be with Elder Florez (Colombia) for the day. I'm staying here in Los Andes! This will be my fourth transfer in this ward, which will be six months. I think it's likely I'll end my mission here.... since I have 10 weeks left. Tomorrow we'll be going to Santiago to pick up our new trainees, and I'll be district leader for the first time.  

General Conference was really great this weekend. I really enjoyed it and it was very spiritually uplifting. 

I have 10 weeks left now, and mom and dad will be with me here in Chile. I'm getting excited, and at the same time, sad. 

Que Dios los bendiga

Elder Garrett