Temple Trip

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Week 69

HOLA!!

So this week flew by! Here is the rundown:

-Monday: We had Family Home Evening in the church building with a some members, and it turned out great! We are trying to make it a weekly activity! 

-Tuesday: We had divisions, and were able to do a lot of service for some of our less actives and some investigators! 

-Wednesday: We had our district meeting, and in the evening we visited the Jacinto Family and the Grijalva Family. Both are inactives/less actives. 

-Thursday: We traveled to Palencia to do divisions with the Hermanas over there. AND MAN I felt like I was outside the capital! It was super hot, and I got super burnt! :) It was kind of nice to have the small town feel again. Everyone is a little more relaxed.

-Friday: Krista, a member in the ward, visited with us. She showed us where some people live, and we were able to find some more less actives. And then in the evening we had a Family Home Evening with the Benevente Family. That went super well, and afterwards they gave us some references of some really great people!  

-Saturday: We explored in some parts of our area, and found a couple people that the missionaries were teaching a while back. We also found the houses that were burnt down the week of Christmas.. That was really sad to see. And it was crazy how we found them, we were looking for someone that we had been given as a reference, and we were going down all these little streets trying to find the house, and then we turn the corner and there was all the burnt houses. It still smelt burnt. It was really sad to see. There were 7 houses affected. And it all started from a little girls playing with fireworks... THAT IS WHY CHILDREN SHOULDN'T PLAY WITH FIREWORKS... But we found one of the families that was affected, and they explained a little more about what happened, and how it was their first day back in their house. The dad doesn't have a job, and so we told him about the program that the church has to help people find work. We hope he will go. 

-Sunday: So we went to go pick up Byron and Ana Maria, and they were all ready to go! And then when we got to church, Byron started to sweat a ton, and felt like he was going to throw-up! We were sitting there in sacrament meeting, and then he was like, I have to leave. So we went to the foyer with him, and he explained that he suffers from low blood pressure. And he said that he only has problems when he walks too fast, or when he gets too excited. And well he told us that the whole week he has been looking forward to Sunday so that he could go to  church with us! :) We told him not to get too excited! And that he can come every week! Well the Elders gave him a blessing, and afterwards, he was perfectly fine! 

Well that was basically our week, and this week is going to be crazy because on Wednesday we are going to Zacapa for a Confrence just for the Hermanas! It'll be great!

Ponderizing: Mark 8:17-21. I love this because I feel like it happens to us as well! We have all seen miracles and blessings in our lives, or in the lives of others, but sometimes we are in a situation and it is like we have forgotten that God can still work miracles. That He can still help us. That if he has done it before for other people, he can do it for us.

Love you all! Oh, and next week we wont be writting until Thursday because we are going to the TEMPLE!!!

-Hermana Garrett

Sunday and Service

Week 68

So this week went great!!! Here is the rundown!

Monday: Family Home Evening with a part-member family. We talked about setting goals for 2017, and it went super well!

Tuesday: We had a super great lesson with a recent convert and her family!! Her brother is great and knows so much!! We are going to keep working with him!

Wednesday: We went and painted a school as a zone service project! It was so fun!! And then in the evening we found Andrea!! She is super great! The missionaries were teaching her like 3 years ago, but then we aren't sure why they stopped... but she is very very receptive!! She accepted a date to get baptized, so we are sure excited for her, and are working with her!!

Thursday: We had a member that went out to work with us! It was wonderful, and she showed us where lots of members live!!

Friday: Zone conference and interviews! And then in the evening we went with some inactives. They actually love us! And it went so well! We are slowly, BUT SURELY, making progress with them!

Saturday: We invited everyone to church! haha It was a great day, even though my comp and I were both sick, and it was FREEEEEZING!!! haha But then on Sunday we saw so many miracles!! Here is from my journal!

8 de Enero:

SO TODAY WAS AWESOME!! So in the morning Hermana Montes de Oca and Sebastian passed by our house so that we could go pick up Byron. Well when we got there we were freaking out that maybe he would say no… well when we got there him and Ana Maria came out and they BOTH came to church!! It was so great! And everyone knows Byron! They call him Papa John! (I have absolutely no idea why... haha) Well they came, and then we literally ran to go get Josselin and Esmeralda so that they could come too! It was wonderful! And they stayed for Gospel Principles and that went well. We talked about the Word of Wisdom! (coincidence? I think not!) And well afterwards when Sebastian was taking them home they said that they wanted to come back next week! YAY!!! And then we had Chinese food for lunch! Some of our favorite members invited us! :) Then we visited the Grijalva family because it was the Hermano's birthday, and we brought him a little cake and a card and as we started to sing, I started to sing in Spanish, and my comp in English! It was so funny and we were like, WHAT IN THE WORLD?! And later in the evening my comp told me that all day she had been feeling like we needed to visit a certain family, so we went right then and made an appointment to come back on Friday, and then the Hermano came walking in and started talking to us, and then invited us over on Monday for dinner. We were like, "Okay!!" So tomorrow we will be going with them!! Today was just a good day! And then we were able to start making food for P-DAY tomorrow!!

And well today we made enchiladas for the zone!!! It was super fun and now I know how to make them!! :)

Ponderizing: 1 John 1:9

Love you all!

Hermana Garrett

The Trio and the Zone

Week 67

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!

Well this week was interesting with the holidays and everything! But this week everything will go back to normal! :)

Well they have changed our schedule a little bit as far as when we have studies, so that has been a little interesting! 

We had an amazing lesson with Elizabeth this week! We had only met with her once before, but when we went back she was so excited to let us in, and wanted to give us an offering, and we explained tithing and offerings to her. It sure touched us, because she really doesn't have much, but she still had such a desire to share what she had. 

Some have asked what are the traditions here for new years:

-eat 12 grapes (12 wishes for the new year)

-run around at 12 am with suitcases (so that you will travel during the year)

-put money in your pockets (so that you can have a lot of money in the year)

-AND SET OFF A TON OF FIREWORKS!!! 

Ponderizing: Enos 1:11. I love this whole chapter! It is such a great example of how we should pray. I was reading this week in Jesus the Christ about the Lord´s Prayer, and how we can learn so much from it. I loved one part that said that God without our prayers will still continue being God; but us without our prayers lose the ability to enter into His Kingdom. We have such a need to pray!!

Love you all!

-Hermana Garrett

"It's Christmas Time in the City (of Guatemala)"

We ate our "Jewish dinner" on the floor,
and we ate cake on the 23rd for Joseph Smith's birthday
EDITOR'S NOTE: These are Garrett Christmas traditions and not a reflection of the doctrine of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

All the missionaries in the zone

Week 66

FELIZ NAVIDAD!!! 

Wow! It is so hard to believe that Christmas has come and gone and that the year is almost over!! Well this week was a fun-filled crazy one! Here are some things that happened:

-On Monday we had FHE with some members and their non-member family members. We were able to sing lots of Christmas carols and it was very enjoyable!

-Tuesday we spent in different areas on divisions, and then in the evening we were able to visit some people in our other area! 

-On Wednesday we were given free Panda Express!! (Because we won a challenge (: )

-On Thursday we were able to work in our area and visit some new people! And well it was a great day! Here is my journal entry: 

22 December 2016

"SO TODAY, as we were walking to lunch with Hermana Lopez, we saw a TON of smoke coming from the Chacara. It gave us a real fright because it sure looked big and dangerous! Well after lunch we didn't see anything so we continued with our day, well later we were heading to visit Cinthia and we found her outside heading to see what she could do to help the people affected. Well we decided to go with her. We got there to find out that 6 houses were completely burned down. 40 people affected, and they were all staying in the refuge area by the park. Well when we found this out we started making phone calls to the bishop, stake president, etc. Well it was very sad, because nobody acted like they wanted to help. We were very saddened by this. So we just ended up calling president Crapo to ask for permission to give away some things we had in the house, and well after a while of talking with him, he told us to be as generous as we would like. That was the green light! :) So Sister Aleman drove us to our house, and we took all the blankets, pillows, extra towels, extra clothing, etc. that we had, our go-bags, food, everything and then we took it over to the shelter. We sang  to them and then we had to go because we were going to be staying in Acatan which is about 25-30 min (when the car can make it up the hills...) It was already getting late, past 8:30, but we couldn't stay in Asuncion anymore because we didn't have pillow or blankets!! So we get going and we are just talking to Hermana Aleman, and then we get to a giant hill, and start rolling backwards. AHHHH and so we get out to start pushing, and as we pushed, IT DIDN'T MOVE A HAIR!! So then she just went backwards until she got to the bottom, and then a man in a white truck stops on the other side of the road and yells and asks if we need a ride, he then came over in his truck and offered to help us. He hooked up a cable (which he just happened to have) and pulled the little old car up the hill! We started out running alongside, but then my companions got too tired to continue. But he brought us all the way up to the shopping centers! His name was Abel Lima. We kind of joked that he was one of the 3 Nephites, but he had his snapback and his sweatpants, so maybe he isn't... but he was an answer from a loving Father in Heaven."

-On Friday we were in Acatan and were able to visit some investigators with the Ward Mission Leader. Him and his wife are so great! They had made huge gift baskets for the investigators that we visited!

-Then on Saturday we were in our area (it was super crazy in the bus coming back!) and well we were able to skype our families, and then afterwards we went and visited a few investigators, and then in the evening we had a huge dinner with the Grijalva family! It was soooooo delicious! And they gave us perfumes! And I had to sing for them to be able to eat! :) And well the tradition here is to wait until 12 am and then they have a giant feast and set off fireworks, and give "Christmas Hugs" and then everyone goes to bed! Well we weren't able to leave our house, but we did go up to our rooftop and we could see so many fireworks! It was legit!!!

-On Sunday we had a double dosage of church because we went to our ward and then we went to Acatan and then we had another huge lunch and a big dinner!!!! And well the tradition is to set off fireworks at 12 pm and at 6 pm in the afternoon.... we kept on asking why, but nobody knows why! haha it is just another reason to celebrate! haha

-Well Hermana Martinez goes back to her area today and then it will just be the 2 of us again :)

Ponderizing: 2 Nephi 2:24 "But behold, all things have been done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things." I love this and sometimes have to be reminded many times :)

Love you all!!!

-Hermana Garrett

Christmas Festivities (Temple, Divisions, and Food)

Week 65

Wow, this week was wonderful! Here are some highlights:

-We had divisions and were able to find a ton of new people that are awesome!

-We had our multi-zone conference and Christmas activity! That was super! We watched Iron Will and had a Christmas feast!

-We were able to go to the temple to be at the sealing of the branch president from Los Amates! THAT WAS WONDERFUL! 

-We are now in trio! And we are covering 2 areas... It sure keeps things fun, busy, and interesting!

-We had the stake Christmas devotional! It was a beautiful evening filled with all sorts of Christmas music! And all the missionaries in our stake sang!

-Monica and Fernanda: We found them one day contacting, we actually talked to their daughters, and then they led us to the house, and then we were able to teach them! They were very nice to us, and then we started to teach and Monica told us that she doesn't believe in God. We were like, WHAT?! And then she explained that before she went to an Evangelist church, but that many things started to happen in her life, and she lost her faith in God. It was very sad to hear, but as we talked to her, she expressed that she has a desire to believe again in God. We were happy to hear that. And now we continue working with her, a little at a time.  

Ponderizing: Mosiah 3:17

LOVE YOU ALL. Hope you have a wonderful Christmas!!!