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| Elder Fuentes and I at the Stake Christmas devotional last night. |
It's kind of interesting now that Elder Cruz is gone.
Yesterday I felt super old in this ward, because the four of us elders in the
ward ate lunch with the Villalba family, and I'm the only one who has eaten
there before. Also, now that I've been there the longest out of the four, all
of the members and investigators talk to me and ignore the others, kind of what
it was like when I was with Elder Cruz, so that's definitely a change. Something
I noted yesterday though, was that I don't know what changed or when, but I
have been talking a whole lot lately and understanding most of what people say,
so I've been pretty excited about that. Yesterday was a lot of fun because I
brought the beef jerky that mom sent me to church to share with the members,
and all of them were freaking out because they've never had it before. The
bishop had tried it on his mission because he had a Yankee companion, and when
he ate it he literally acted like he was in heaven, it was hilarious. Also,
last night when Elder Fuentes and I were praying for our investigators, we
decided to pray in English so he could practice. When it was my turn to pray,
it was honestly extremely hard for me to form sentences. I'm pretty sure I sounded
like a caveman. Half the time the words were coming out in Spanish and I had to
correct myself and translate the word into English, and then other times I
would be translating a phrase that I know makes sense in Spanish but doesn't
mean anything in English, so that was pretty weird. I guess that's good though,
right?
Yesterday I had the opportunity to confirm Olga a member of the church during sacrament meeting. It was my very first time doing it in my life, and it was in Spanish. I was kind of nervous, but when it came time to do it, I wasn't even really thinking about it, and my mouth really was filled with the words to say. After church got over I had the opportunity to baptize Graciela as well, which was special. Graciela and her family gave me a tie and a card expressing their thanks. In part of the letter they wrote that I have been the biggest blessing in their lives, they love me, and if I ever return to Argentina after my mission their door will always be open, which was really really humbling for me. There honestly is nothing better than being able to be a tool in the hands of the Lord in helping people come to a knowledge of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, and helping them to come closer to Him. I don't really know that I can find the words to describe the happiness I've been feeling lately, and I can't even imagine how happy our Father in Heaven is. I have come to realize that the mission clearly isn't easy. I have had many very hard experiences and sad experiences and frustrating experiences, but when it comes down to it, these past several months have been some of the happiest in my entire life.
Elder Garrett, Elder Cruz, Dani, Olga and Hermana Cisneros
at the baptismal service for Dani and Olga
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| Elder Fuentes, Dani, Graciela, Elder Garrett, and Olga at the baptism of Graciela |
Last night we were able to attend a stake Christmas devotional where a choir sang, our stake president spoke, and President Ayre spoke. It was really special because it reminded me of the stake Christmas devotionals we have in Kaysville. Also, it was nice to remember that it is Christmas this Wednesday as we are dying of heat and humidity.
I'd like to end my email with something I sent to a friend
from high school who wrote me this week about Christmas. I hope you have an
awesome Christmas. It's such a wonderful time of year to focus even more on the
life of our Savior and remember that the greatest gift we have ever received in
eternity, is His gift of the Atonement. It is only through the healing power of
the Atonement that we can change, repent, and receive forgiveness of our sins.
The laws of God are very simple: when we are obedient, we are blessed, however,
we clearly aren't perfect and we make mistakes and sin everyday. We would be
eternally damned if it were not for our Savior. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is
very simple as stated in the scriptures. The only thing Christ asks of us is to
have faith and repent and be baptized. After that, we know that we need to press
forward and make the other saving covenants, but at the very base of everything
is faith and repentance. When we humble ourselves enough to kneel and plead for
help and forgiveness we will always receive it, and when it comes time to stand
at the judgment bar of God, our Savior will be able to say that we're covered.
It is for that reason that we celebrate Christmas. Santa's presents are great,
but clearly don't compare. I know that our Savior lives and loves us, and his
arms are always stretched out toward us pleading for us to come unto Him. A
very Merry Christmas to one and all from Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Love,
Elder John William Garrett
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