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| Our Thanksgivin' meal ... |
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| ... and a selfie! Yes, that is a selfie stick! |
Monday, November 30, 2015
Week 11
Buenas!
Well this week was suuuper fast! Lots of fun stuff!
-Lupita
She was a reference from the Elders because they couldn't visit her much because her husband isn't there often (mission rules). She is so great! Has such a strong testimony of our Heavenly Father! And her husband is Athiest. As we were getting ready to leave, she asked, So what is my reading assignment! :) She has had some lessons with the missionaries in the capital!
We have a baptism this week with Vilma! We are having a blast teaching her grand children also!
We met a lady named Lesbia in Campos Nuevos (an area that we have to take a tuk tuk for about 10 min and it is in one of the banana fields) and she was great! SO receptive and is MARRIED!! Her kids are kind of crazy, but she enjoys meeting with us! :)
Also in Campos Nuevos we met a lady named Marline! She is a member of a church called Amigos. They basically believe in faith. That is it. They dont think people need to be baptized. But she is really great! She loves the idea of the Book of Mormon. We are really focusing on that with her!
Lets see.. We ate fried rice last week, and had some chow mein this week! It isn´t anything like normal, but it works!
It is getting surprisingly cold at night!! Now that we have fans we don´t really even use them! But during the day it gets nice and toasty! :)
Ponderizing: Mosiah 4:27 How true is that! Everything needs to be done in wisdom and order, but we need to make sure we aren't running faster than we can! Sometimes as missionaries we have to remember this. And in normal life! Don´t get so flustered with being the best, or worried about fitting in, remember to take it one step at a time, and you can always find peace and comfort in the Gospel and the Scriptures!
Lovin' this country!
Love you all!
-Hermana Garrett
Monday, November 23, 2015
Week 10
¡Buenas!
Well this week was FULL of fun and new families!
Josepha and Danillo
So we had stopped by their house a few weeks back, and the wife really loved our message. She said her husband had gotten a folleto (pamphlet) from the Elders in the street, and really liked it, but hadn´t seen them again since. They were very accepting of our message, and she is starting to work on her divorce so she can get married to Danillo. The second lesson was just with Josepha and she explained all of her problems. Basically she just has a lot of problems with Danillo, but in our third lesson with her, she said that after our lesson with them, Danillo talked to her and really liked what we taught and thinks it is time to change. She was so thankful for our visit, and really wants to work towards baptism!
Jaime and Edwardo
This family lives just down the road from Josepha and Danillo! Which is like a 40min walk from our house.. :)
BUT they are awesome! Our first lesson with them went so well! The father just ate up everything we said, and he really understood what we were teaching. They accepted baptism for the 19th of Dec! We do need to get them married... Jaime is a little reluctant, even though they have been together for 17 years already! We taught about the Plan of Salvation yesterday, and they loved it! We will see if that is enough to encourage them to get married! The wife was funny though, she said to her husband ¨now you understand that if you get baptized you are going to be a Mormon¨ and he goes ¨um, yes, I understand that!¨
We still go over to Rosadellias house every day to help her read. However last night the power was out so we talked about temples. She told us that her husband passed away. She really liked hearing that they could be together again, and for forever.
Vilma is getting baptized next week! And her grand kids are still working on their baptismal date.
We had interviews with the president this week! And we got fans and pans! We are living a luxurious life now! Not even joking, it is swell!
So we have figured out how to tell when it is going to rain.. The locals clued us in :) So basically when it is suuuuuper hot and you don't think you can survive, it rains! And I was thinking about it, and that is so much like life! So many times we will be right on the edge of giving up, or giving in, and all we have to do is endure just a minute longer. God is always there, and he WILL bless us, we just have to push through the hard times! He knows we can do it! He didn't put us on this Earth to fail.
Ponderizing: Jacob 4:10. This reminded me of that conference talk that said "Reach up, not across." We need all the wisdom and help that we can get from our loving father in heaven!
Love you all!!! Happy Thanksgiving!
-Hermana Garrett
Monday, November 16, 2015
Week 9
Buenas!!
So to start, last P-day we got to go to some ruins, it was awesome!! I will send pics for sure!! It was super awesome!! A place called quiriguà, look it up.. or don't, I'll attach pictures too :) And we visited two banana farms, those are crazy!!
So we have been teaching Melvin, Darwin, and Daisy. They are PILAS!! (Chapin slang for "awesome"!) They are soaking in everything! Their grandmother is Vilma, our investigator that has a fecha (baptismal date) for next week!!! She is also awesome!
We teach mutual on Wed. and we tend to have quite a few non members come! We typically teach some English and then doctrines in Spanish. This week we started to teach the Articles of Faith in both languages! It is a great way for us to learn them as well in Spanish!
We had a Conference in Puerto Barrios yesterday! It was for all of Guatemala and was broadcasted throughout the country. Elder Bednar, Neil Marriot, the 3 members of the 70 for this area and a few other people spoke. Almost all of the speakers talked in Spanish! It was amazing how much I was able to understand!
We also traveled to the Cap this week for immigration stuff! Turns out government stuff in other countries takes forever too... haha! BUT the best part was we went to McDonalds after!! Man, a nice greasy hamburger (that destroyed me because it was so different from what I have been eating! haha)
We are starting to teach one of our investigators how to read! I felt prompted to ask her if she wanted to learn, and she said yes, then I felt the prompting to promise her that she could learn how to read by reading the Book of Mormon. She agreed, so we go over there and read a couple verses with her and then explain the story! She is amazing! Her name is Rosadelia. She has 3 autistic daughters (I am pretty sure she took in 2 of them). She has a really hard time, but a love for the Savior. We are really hoping to get her to commit to a date because we know how much the Church could help her, but for now, we are just going to serve her.
We also have another investigator, Mildred. She is pilas! She always has lots of questions! And she owns like the only hotel here with AC, so we know she is smart ;) She started reading the Book of Mormon, and we love talking to her because she gets it!!
It has started to rain here... haha, it rains basically every night right as we get inside! It is a blessing!!
Ponderizing: Ether 12:27. I love this verse. I have soooo many weaknesses that I have seen come to the surface as a missionary, but I know that with the help of God and through the Atonement I can slowly become better. What a blessing.
Love you all!!!
-Hermana Garrett
Sunday, November 15, 2015
Week 8
Well this week flew by!! Not sure where to start!
Vilma:
So we have been teaching Vilma since our first day here. She is an older lady, and it was kind of challenging when we had to teach the same lesson over and over again, but we could tell that she had a desire to understand what we were teaching, so we continued. Well this week, I believe it was Tuesday, we went over to teach her, and decided to start with a hymn. As we sang, all of these kids started to gather around! Her 5 grandkids were sitting in front of us when we finished! It was awesome! So we taught them, and they just loved it and kept asking when we would come back! Needless to say, we go back everyday! It makes my day when they all get so excited when we come over! Vilma and the 3 boys came to church yesterday, and it was great! :) And it all started with a song. We now start every lesson with a song!
We have a lot of investigators that are progressing! It is awesome! But nobody here is legally married! That has been a real struggle! It is also crazy how young moms are here! We are teaching a girl who is 17 and has a son that is 1... and that is suuuper common here!
We went to Chiquimula this week for a nuevo capacitación! I got to see Elder Murphy from my district in the CCM! He is having a rough time! I felt so blessed after talking to him and Hermana Jensen to have an English-speaking companion!
We aren´t sure if it is cooling down or we are just getting used to the heat! But it is a lot more bearable!! ...even though we still don't have fans! ..luxuries :)
We found a super rico comedor and the best street tacos this week! We also had some great tamales at FHE this week! Grandma Garrett, your tamales have my heart, but for Guatemala, these weren't too bad!
We went to campos nuevos this week, which is about 8 min in a tuk tuk! There is a member family there, and we were able to have some lessons over there! It is awesome, they have SOOOOOO many bananas! Just banana fields for miles and miles! There was a family out there that gave us chocos (frozen bananas dipped in chocolate)! Those are the real deal!
So we are very blessed. We have running water every day. In Los Amates people typically have running water 2 days a week. And our electricity comes and goes, but we have water.
We started Mutual, a Wed night activity for youth! We are teaching them English! It´s pretty fun! :)
This week I am ponderizing 2 Nephi 2:6-8 It is about the importance of Christ in our lives, and the importance of sharring our knowledge with others! It doesn't matter if you are a full time missionary, everyone can share their love and appreciation for the Savior.
I am so thankful that I am a missionary here in Guatemala! I am learning so much about the Gosple, the people here, and myself. I am so grateful for this opportunity, being a missionary is the best! :)
Love you all!
-Hermana Garrett
Vilma:
So we have been teaching Vilma since our first day here. She is an older lady, and it was kind of challenging when we had to teach the same lesson over and over again, but we could tell that she had a desire to understand what we were teaching, so we continued. Well this week, I believe it was Tuesday, we went over to teach her, and decided to start with a hymn. As we sang, all of these kids started to gather around! Her 5 grandkids were sitting in front of us when we finished! It was awesome! So we taught them, and they just loved it and kept asking when we would come back! Needless to say, we go back everyday! It makes my day when they all get so excited when we come over! Vilma and the 3 boys came to church yesterday, and it was great! :) And it all started with a song. We now start every lesson with a song!
We have a lot of investigators that are progressing! It is awesome! But nobody here is legally married! That has been a real struggle! It is also crazy how young moms are here! We are teaching a girl who is 17 and has a son that is 1... and that is suuuper common here!
We went to Chiquimula this week for a nuevo capacitación! I got to see Elder Murphy from my district in the CCM! He is having a rough time! I felt so blessed after talking to him and Hermana Jensen to have an English-speaking companion!
We aren´t sure if it is cooling down or we are just getting used to the heat! But it is a lot more bearable!! ...even though we still don't have fans! ..luxuries :)
We found a super rico comedor and the best street tacos this week! We also had some great tamales at FHE this week! Grandma Garrett, your tamales have my heart, but for Guatemala, these weren't too bad!
We went to campos nuevos this week, which is about 8 min in a tuk tuk! There is a member family there, and we were able to have some lessons over there! It is awesome, they have SOOOOOO many bananas! Just banana fields for miles and miles! There was a family out there that gave us chocos (frozen bananas dipped in chocolate)! Those are the real deal!
So we are very blessed. We have running water every day. In Los Amates people typically have running water 2 days a week. And our electricity comes and goes, but we have water.
We started Mutual, a Wed night activity for youth! We are teaching them English! It´s pretty fun! :)
This week I am ponderizing 2 Nephi 2:6-8 It is about the importance of Christ in our lives, and the importance of sharring our knowledge with others! It doesn't matter if you are a full time missionary, everyone can share their love and appreciation for the Savior.
I am so thankful that I am a missionary here in Guatemala! I am learning so much about the Gosple, the people here, and myself. I am so grateful for this opportunity, being a missionary is the best! :)
Love you all!
-Hermana Garrett
Week 7 (first week in the field)
¡BUENAS!
Well if you didn't hear, I´m like actually in Guatemala now!! And boy is it different than the CCM!!!
So I am serving in Los Amates! My companion is Hermana Mendoza!! She is from Texas and is awesome! We are in an area that hasn't had missionaries or an organized ward for 20 years. The Elders opened it about 4 months ago, but they asked for sisters, so we are here! We have a "group" because there aren't enough people for a branch. But we are going to change that!! There are 5 families in our group! And we have church in the Elders backyard.. It is just about the most interesting thing ever! But it is awesome!!!
Our house is really nice, but there haven't been missionaries living in there... just bugs, and lots of em!! We have had so many spiders, like HUGE ones, and we don't have a broom to sweep them up, so they just all chill on our ground, it´s great! ;) We are hoping to get a fan this week, but we aren't sure if that´ll happen. We have to take showers in the morning and night... And we carry around towels because we literally drip sweat and don't want to over heat... BUT it is GREAT!!!
We love the members that we have here! The first full day we were here one family fed us lunch and dinner because we didn't have any food in our house! They don't have much, but are so giving because they are so grateful to have sister missionaries!
We have also been meeting with the Garcia family! They are recent converts, and the sweetest family! The kids know so many of the primary songs and love to pray and have us over! We talked to them about temples and we made so coloring pages for them!
On Friday we traveled to Puerto Barrios (2 hrs each way in an air conditioned bus) for Zone planning. I got to see Hermana Jensen there! She is having a rough time, her new comp doesn't speak any English! I am so glad that my comp and I have a BLAST together!!
Food here is interesting!! We don't have any normal stores or food chains like they have in the capital. Its a little sketch sometimes! We eat at comedores1 most of the time, and lunch is normally like 2 or 3 dollars!! Crazy cheap!
There is one family that every time we go over there to teach, there is another person that wants to talk to us! Last lesson they also shared fresh cocos with us!! It´s pretty great! I also just love hearing people pray for the first time! It is my favorite!
The drivers here are nuts... They drive tuk tuks2 all over, and I am amazed that there aren't more accidents!
Oh at one lesson, the investigator had us try to make tortillas with her... HA that is way harder than I thought it would be!! They say it takes 2 weeks of daily practice to get it down real well!! So I didn't feel as bad, but the dad came out and just started laughing at me ;)
Well I´m ponderizing James 1:22. It is so important that we are living what we believe! Even though it is really stinking hot, we are trying to stay super positive and HAPPY because this is a wonderful message that we are sharing!!
I am so thankful for this opportunity to grow personally and help others grow in their faith! Even though we all have different challenges, we can ALL find comfort in the gospel and the fact that there is one who knows us perfectly! I know Jesus Christ loves us all. and He wants us to be happy. We can find peace, happiness, and comfort in and through him. I am so grateful for this knowledge.
Well I think that is it! Pictures are coming also!
Love you all!
-Hermana Garrett
Well if you didn't hear, I´m like actually in Guatemala now!! And boy is it different than the CCM!!!
So I am serving in Los Amates! My companion is Hermana Mendoza!! She is from Texas and is awesome! We are in an area that hasn't had missionaries or an organized ward for 20 years. The Elders opened it about 4 months ago, but they asked for sisters, so we are here! We have a "group" because there aren't enough people for a branch. But we are going to change that!! There are 5 families in our group! And we have church in the Elders backyard.. It is just about the most interesting thing ever! But it is awesome!!!
Our house is really nice, but there haven't been missionaries living in there... just bugs, and lots of em!! We have had so many spiders, like HUGE ones, and we don't have a broom to sweep them up, so they just all chill on our ground, it´s great! ;) We are hoping to get a fan this week, but we aren't sure if that´ll happen. We have to take showers in the morning and night... And we carry around towels because we literally drip sweat and don't want to over heat... BUT it is GREAT!!!
We love the members that we have here! The first full day we were here one family fed us lunch and dinner because we didn't have any food in our house! They don't have much, but are so giving because they are so grateful to have sister missionaries!
We have also been meeting with the Garcia family! They are recent converts, and the sweetest family! The kids know so many of the primary songs and love to pray and have us over! We talked to them about temples and we made so coloring pages for them!
On Friday we traveled to Puerto Barrios (2 hrs each way in an air conditioned bus) for Zone planning. I got to see Hermana Jensen there! She is having a rough time, her new comp doesn't speak any English! I am so glad that my comp and I have a BLAST together!!
Food here is interesting!! We don't have any normal stores or food chains like they have in the capital. Its a little sketch sometimes! We eat at comedores1 most of the time, and lunch is normally like 2 or 3 dollars!! Crazy cheap!
There is one family that every time we go over there to teach, there is another person that wants to talk to us! Last lesson they also shared fresh cocos with us!! It´s pretty great! I also just love hearing people pray for the first time! It is my favorite!
The drivers here are nuts... They drive tuk tuks2 all over, and I am amazed that there aren't more accidents!
Oh at one lesson, the investigator had us try to make tortillas with her... HA that is way harder than I thought it would be!! They say it takes 2 weeks of daily practice to get it down real well!! So I didn't feel as bad, but the dad came out and just started laughing at me ;)
Well I´m ponderizing James 1:22. It is so important that we are living what we believe! Even though it is really stinking hot, we are trying to stay super positive and HAPPY because this is a wonderful message that we are sharing!!
I am so thankful for this opportunity to grow personally and help others grow in their faith! Even though we all have different challenges, we can ALL find comfort in the gospel and the fact that there is one who knows us perfectly! I know Jesus Christ loves us all. and He wants us to be happy. We can find peace, happiness, and comfort in and through him. I am so grateful for this knowledge.
Well I think that is it! Pictures are coming also!
Love you all!
-Hermana Garrett
FOOTNOTES, for all of us gringos unfamiliar with the "chapinismos" (Guatemalan slang):
1. a "comedor" is a small restaurant
2. a "tuk tuk" is a mototaxi. I think they look like this:
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