This week we had a good experience with Daniela and Cesar. They went to mutual with their grandma this week and it was the first time they'd entered the chapel. They said they felt at home there. They met the Bishop and made several friends. They were very excited and have watched several church films and have been reading the Book of Mormon. On Saturday Daniela said that she believes it to be true. She still doesn't know with certainty, but she feels like it's true. They also came to church on Sunday.

We had changes this week. I am still in Almendral, but now I'm with Elder de Castro and Elder Román... my first chilean companion! He's really cool and we are having lots of fun and working hard. 

My trainer, Elder Kelson went home this week, as well as one of my other companions, Elder Cuadros. It's kind of weird that I've already had several companions go home... and to think that I've only got 8 months left....

In a couple of weeks we will get to listen to Elder Holland. John said that he will also be speaking to them that week. So that should be awesome. 

Anyway that's about it. 

Elder Garrett (Chile)  

We had some great blessings this week, and we were able to find a lot of really great people to teach. We are teaching two children who are really incredible. Their mom and grandma are both members that participated actively before.

The grandma said that whenever she sees us, she feels peace in her heart. She had lost her scriptures many years ago, and when we pulled out the Book of Mormon she said it was like seeing an old friend, and she felt something when she held it again in her hands. They are very excited to learn, read, pray, and go to church.

We were teaching them about the Book of Mormon and how to receive and recognize an answer from God with respect to the book. We had one Peruvian, one Brasilian, one Chilean, and one Gringo who could all testify that they'd received an answer. And if we could receive answers, anyone can. It is true that anyone who asks sincerely and demonstrates their faith by their works will receive an answer.  

This week there was a stake activity right after a baptism and our building is the stake center. I ran into Fabiana, from Centenario. It is a great feeling when you can talk to someone you taught seven or eight months ago and see that they are stronger than ever in the gospel. I am so happy for her and her family. 

That's it for this week.

Elder Garrett (Chile)

This week we had a great blessing to be able to participate in the baptism of Victor. He is a great young man and we have seen great changes in his life as he has learned and lived the gospel of Jesus Christ. I am so happy for him. And I know that as we live the gospel, the Lord blesses us. Our lives are happier because we are blessed with a happiness that will last forever.

 

 

We were able to find many great people this week to teach, and a couple of people who we'd taught before but we'd lost contact with them. 

I know that God answers our prayers and He is always there to help us, even when we're not sure of it. He's often just waiting for us to ask help. We have a bright future ahead of us because of our faith.

Elder Garrett

Conference

This week I have noticed that when the Spirit touches someone's heart, they start to change. I don't know if it's becuase the Spirit changes our heart, or because we change because we want to continue feeling it... but it happens. We have seen great progress this week in investigators as they excercised their faith, as they read the scriptures, prayed, and went to church. One investigator went to four of the five sessions. Even though he didn't understand everything, he kept coming, because he has a desire to know more.

This week I feel like I have come to know my Savior better. I started the week with that desire and a lot of prayer... and during the week and the weekend I felt like I got closer to Him and came to know Him better.

I know that He lives. I understand better what He did personally for me, even though I'll never fully understand it. I have felt His influence in my life, and in the lives of many. I know that He suffered for us to lighten our burdens... He is constantly lightening my burdens. I know that He was resurrected the third day, and I look forward to the day that we are all resurrected. That will be a glorious day. I know that if we follow his teachings and endure to the end, we will be able to enjoy a happiness forever that for now we don't understand. We will see each other again after death. 

Elder Garrett

The Bike Accident

This week was... a thriller. One of my companions ran into a parked car... We were both in front of him so neither of us saw the accident. But he said he thought the back wheel had a problem, so he was looking back at it, and right when he looked forward again he crashed into the car.

I heard him yell "Elder!," and when we turned around and went back to him he had the bike on the ground and his head down, when he looked up, his face was... a little bloody.... So we called the stake president, a doctor, and a member with a car to come pick him up. The member took him to the doctor, and we took his bike back to the house and hurried to the doctor. 

He had several cuts on his nose and forehead, and cut open his lip right beneath the nose. He was lucky he didn't break his nose or lose his teeth. Unfortunately, the helmet didn't really do him any good... because he kind of face planted it. He just ended up with four stitches. 

I think from now on we're going to wear football helmets.

This past week I finished reading the Book of Mormon again. I asked God to strengthen my testimony. The scripture says that we recieve testimony after the trial of our faith. It was kind of a tough week... and we almost couldn't do anything because my companion had to rest and we couldn't find members to go on splits.

But on Saturday night God answered my prayer by prompting me to share with an investigator how I recieved a testimony of the Book of Mormon. As I shared the experience I felt the spirit testify strongly, and felt my testimony grow. As I reflected on what had happened to me, I knew even more that it is true, and I won't be able to forget it. 

I guess that's about it. 

Elder Garrett 

18

This week we ate too much meat... had too many barbecues... I think if I eat more meat I will be sick. Haha. That's what happens the week of September 18 here.... it's like July 4... but they celebrate for three days... this year it was Wednesday, Thursday, Friday... and then obviously there was the weekend. They like to celebrate...

On Wednesday we had a barbecue, and then we went to the ward activity... from 4:00 to 10:00. Before lunch we went to help prepare the food... about 500 shish kabobs.... we weren't planning on helping but we saw that they had so much to do and so little time so we offered our services. they started eating them about 10:00 so they gave us some as we left and then they continued doing karaoke and dancing the cueca until about 1:30 in the morning. It might have been a little more fun in Batuco, where I knew more people, but it was still fun.   

On Thursday we ate the leftovers from Wednesday's barbecue.... like I said, lots of meat. 

It's a little bit hard to teach during fiestas, but we were able to see lots of little miracles. For example, yesterday we found a woman who's mother had recently died in August and who had a lot of questions about life. We taught the plan of salvation and in the end she was a little teary eyed. She said she feels like her whole life has been a long search and that she is trying to find her way back to God. We told her that we have found that way back for ourselves, and she committed to ask God if what we taught was true. She was very impressed that we can do something to help our loved ones who have died so that we can be reunited with them. 

Elder Garrett

San Felipe, Week 1

Well, yesterday, we had a zone training, so today is our preparation day. Tomorrow is the 18th of September, which means barbecue, empanadas... all that kind of stuff.  The 18th is like the 4th of July, except that it lasts 3 days, the 18th, 19th, and 20th. We'll be going to the ward activity tomorrow.. it should be really fun and nice to get to know the ward members a little better.

On Thursday we had to go to a meeting in Santiago, so we woke up an hour early to take the bus at 8 to try to get to Santiago at 10.  In the end, we had to take a taxi from the bus station to the chapel and we got there about 10:05.  The meeting got over about 5:30 and we had to wait for the bus at 6:10... so we got back to San Felipe about 8:00.  It was a long, tiresome day, and I had a bad cold this week, so that was fun.

The other day we were teaching a lesson to a lady who was speaking a lot.   She mentioned something about how she felt that when she met with us something pulled a weight off of her heart and she felt better.  We explained to her that she was feeling the Spirit, which was testifying of the truth. 

Another lady had mentioned something similar. A scripture popped into my head when we were inviting her to come to church.  I shared Matthew 11:28-30 and told her that our invitation is to come unto Christ... that as she comes unto Christ through what we teach and invite her to do, He will ease the burden that she feels she's had her whole life. I t was interesting to see her reaction.  Because I followed direction from the Holy Ghost, she felt the Holy Ghost and got really quiet (she usually talks a lot... haha). 

Anyway that was my week. 

Elder Garrett