Una semana llena de locos

Well, this week was pretty great. Fortunately we made it through the week without hospital trips. We were able to find many new investigators this week who accepted baptismal dates. Unfortunately, yesterday morning it rained... and... well... no one leaves their houses when it rains here. However, we have many investigators who are very promising. We met a sweet old lady named Ines this past week who was so grateful that we gifted her a Book of Mormon. She has been reading it every day and she really loves it. I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God.

We found a teaching record of a woman named Martha that we visited this past week and she accepted everything. She and her mom attended church in the past, and we are really excited to work with them this week. We also contacted a family friend of the Gomez family this week and found a woman named Cynthia who met with the missionaries about 12 years ago and read the Book of Mormon with something like 15 family members, so we're really excited going into this week, and I know we'll have a lot of success.

It's proving to be quite the experience being a trainer, because I've been forced even more to take the lead in... well... everything. It has really been a confidence booster as the Lord has shown me, that if I trust in Him, I can do anything. He's shown me that if I open my mouth, He will fill it with the words the people need to hear. He's shown me that I don't need to feel insecure about my Spanish, because He can bless me with the gift of tongues. He's shown me that if I trust in Him and follow the promptings I receive, He will guide me to the people that are waiting for me and my hijo. As says my mom's favorite Primary song, "He gave me my life, my mind, my heart: I thank him rev'rently for all his creations, of which I'm a part. Yes, I know Heav'nly Father loves me."

So... we had some pretty funny experiences this week... the first was with this old man named Juan who greeted us really excitedly in the street, so we decided to talk to him. He started preaching to us and a whole bunch of things. He told us some stories very animated-like and it was probably funnier when I was there... but I'll tell you anyway. The funniest was when he said "'Che Juan,' me dijo, 'vamos a decir 'amen' todos juntos muy fuerte!' 'Sí Pastor' le dije, 'uno...dos...tres...AMÉN!'" When I told him we had to go, but asked if we could leave him with a word of prayer he told me, "NO, no tenés que pedir permiso para orar, tenés que decir VAMOS A ORAR HERMANOS" haha... it was probably funnier for my companion and I than for all of you... but yeah. The other time we were walking in the street and this guy yells to us to stop. He starts running after us and I thought, "oh great, we're going to get robbed"... however, the guy came running at us with a Bible in his hands. He asked us if we had anything to gift him to read, so we gave him a pamphlet about the Restoration. He then said a whole bunch of things like, "Tenés una novia? Las chicas son bonitas no cierto? Hay chicas en la iglesia? Puedo ir a la iglesia? Puedo vestirme así con camisa y corbata? Te dan ropa en la iglesia? Yo quiero una placa así con mi nombre también." Hey friend, I ask him, where do you live? "Por ahí! En una casa! Con mi hermano! Maxi! Yo vivo en mi casa!" Then my companion told him we had to go and he asked if we would pray for him, so my companion said a prayer, and when he finished, he started hugging us one at a time and saying "te quiero mucho amigo, te quiero mucho." When he was coming at me I thought he was going to kiss me on the mouth... so I had to turn my head and kind of give him a hug. Unfortunately I was unable to escape the kiss on the cheek... it was a pretty crazy day. I'm pretty sure he was drunk.

Anyway, I hope all is going well in the US, Brasil, Taiwan, Las Filipinas, México, Francia, wherever y'all may be.

Love,

Elder John William Garrett

Birthdays and Hospital Trips

This past week was pretty great. On Monday after writing to you all, I decided that I was kind of bored of playing futbol every P-day, so my hijito and I went to José C. Paz to hang out with the zone leaders, Elder Hankins and Elder Vidal. I've come to be pretty good friends with them, because I have gone on exchanges with Elder Hankins and I went on an exchange with Elder Vidal when I was in Constitución and he was in La Boca. We went to the Coto, which is one of the biggest supermarkets here. In José C. Paz the Coto has a bowling alley and a bunch of pool tables, so we had a lot of fun. I told them before we started that I only went bowling maybe two times a year before the mission, but then I had a lot of luck and they ended up telling me I was lying... haha. I bowled a turkey (3 strikes in a row) and got a couple other strikes as well. We then played pool and I was humbled quite a bit as I don't really know how to play. We then took a few fotos on some couches, but Elder Hankins was the only one who had a camera, so I can't send you a foto. It was probably the funnest P-day I've had in the mission.

On Tuesday we woke up, exercised, my companion showered, and I got in the shower. As I was in the shower my companion went out back to wash a few of his shirts. As I left the shower, my companion called my name, and as I checked out the window I saw that he was bleeding quite profusely from his head, and his hands and arms were covered in blood. He had dropped a shirt on the ground, bent down to pick it up, and when he stood up smacked his head against this metal box where the water heater is. I made some quick calls to President, who didn't answer, the zone leaders to let them know, and then to a member to take us to the hospital. We just threw on some futbol jerseys and shorts because we didn't have time to tie ties, and headed out to the hospital. I then had to leave my companion at the hospital and return to the pension to search for his identification that we hadn't thought to bring. In the end, they just glued up his head because the cut was long but not very deep, but he had a really bad headache for a few days. It was quite the adventure.

This week it rained quite a bit, and my companion was pretty shocked when he asked me what we were going to do and I said that we were going to go out and work anyway. It was pretty funny.

We had a pretty awesome Zone Conference with President and the Assistants this week, and we learned a lot about faith. The Lord is able to do anything if we will but have faith in Him, however, we have to act. Everytime we push ourselves just a little bit further than we think we can go, the Lord will always bless us. We talked about and watched an awesome video of Lionel Messi, who was told he was too small to play futbol and wasn't good enough to play in Argentina. He never gave up and decided to go to Spain and they decided that he could play, and is now the best futbol player in the world. This life isn't about "winning the race", but getting up each time we fall and trying again. "Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life." I testify that if we will keep trying even when we think we've lost, the Lord will always bless us.

Stylin' with my companion

Yesterday was my birthday. We had an asado with Beto and overall I was gifted 4 birthday cakes, from the Irigoyen family, the Gomez family, Adrian and Fani, and Beto. It was pretty awesome... but we'll probably be eating cake for a couple weeks. My companion told everyone that I turned 23 and they believed him... then I told them I just turned 19 and everyone was shocked... oh well. It's kind of weird just barely turning 19... and already being out on the mission 10 months. I am so grateful to be here.

 

EE.UU. is the Spanish way to write U.S.A... also they call me batman...​

 

The World Cup started this past week, and it's pretty much impossible to enter a house where the people aren't watching it. Last night was pretty fun... Argentina played against Bosnia, and there wasn't a single soul in the street besides us. However, we could always tell when Argentina scored, because Pablo Nogués would erupt with everyone screaming "GOOOOOOOOOL!!!!!" We yelled it with them haha.

Love,

Elder John William Garrett

Aventuras con mi primogénito

On Tuesday I had to stick around in San Fernando most of the day waiting to pick up my hijo (greenie). At the end of the day there are only two of us who are training new elders, and one sister who is training a sister this transfer. Since there wasn't many of us, we went to the Mission Home with the assistants and President Ayre when they had the meeting with the new elders. President Ayre told them that when he was in the MTC, President Monson told him to always take care of his new missionaries that come in, and save the very best missionaries to be their trainers. I felt a little out of place there with the assistants and the other 2 missionaries who are trainers because they've already trained a few times in the past. I was kind of wondering if President made a mistake in me being there, but I am really humbled to have this opportunity to help out my primogénito. 

My hijo is Elder López (again right? who would've thought I'd have two Elder López' back to back?), who is from Rosario, Argentina and is 18 years old. He's my first companion that is younger than me! He's a pretty cool guy, and we get along well. He's here waiting for his visa to go to Ecuador, so I'm not entirely sure how long he'll be here. It's kind of different being a trainer because he follows and copies literally everything I do, even up to my morning exercises haha.

 

My primogénito, elder López

The orange sweater is from elder López, my last

companion... it's kind of ugly but I like it.

This week we had a great week and found a bunch of new investigators who accepted baptismal dates. Unfortunately none of them came to church, but we're staying positive and working hard. Adrian's sister-in-law is going to Santiago del Estero today to bring him his birth certificate so he can get married and baptized. The work is going really well, and I feel like we're going to have a lot of success here together.

I'm doing well, I've had a bit of a cold this week, but pretty much everyone in Buenos Aires does as well with the climate change. This week I will turn 19. It's weird to think that if the age hadn't been changed to leave on a mission I would still be at home and I wouldn't have experienced all the things that I have experienced in these 10 months. I'm so grateful fot this precious time that the Lord has given me. I know that Thomas S. Monson is His prophet on the earth today. It was an inspired age change, and I'm so grateful to have been able to help the people that I could during this time serving as an 18-year-old missionary.

I love you all.

Elder John William Garrett

I don't have a whole lot of time, so this'll be somewhat brief. This past week was pretty great. We found 5 new investigators. Beto's doing great. Today we had transfers, so Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, I said farewell to all of the ward members because I have been in Pablo Nogués 3 transfers.

 

We moved to a new pension on Saturday, so I left my suitcases packed. Last night we got the call from the Zone Leaders and they told us that Elder Lopez was going to leave to go to Villa Lugano, and I'm staying in Pablo Nogués for a 4th transfer. I write to you all from close to the mission offices in San Fernando, because they let me know this morning that I would be training a new Elder... or in mission terms I will now be a "papá" with a "hijito" (child).  I have no idea where my companion is... if he's in the airport, the MTC, or the mission home. I don't even know what his name is. Right now I'm with Elder Garcia who is also going to be training this transfer. I'm really nervous but excited. I took a ton of pictures this past week with members because I thought I would be leaving... unfortunately this Internet café isn't the best and doesn't have the little connecting part to upload my pictures. I will send them next week. I wish you all a very happy week, and enjoy summer!

Love,

Elder John William Garrett