¿Donde ha ido el tiempo?

This past week I hit the year mark, which was pretty surreal. What a blessing it is to be serving the Lord full time in "la mejor misión en el mundo, La Gran Misión Buenos Aires Norte." I'm loving so much my time here and I'm really excited for the time I have left to keep working hard and seeing the gospel change people's lives. No one can tell me that the gospel isn't true. Nothing can change lives like the gospel can. I've seen it over and over again. I know that God lives and loves us. He hears and answers each one of our prayers, maybe not when we want Him to, but the answers always do come. Jesus Christ really is our Savior and Redeemer, and He knows EXACTLY what we are going through and how to help us, if we will but confide in Him. I love Him. I know that He loves me. I love the people here in Buenos Aires. I am so grateful for all of the support that I receive from home, so thanks to all of you as well. You are all the best.

Elder Hansen and I hit the one-year mark

 

This week was great. We found new people to teach, thanks to our recent converts, and the work is going along really well. Marcelina is progressing a lot and has cut her cigarette-use down a lot. She went to church yesterday and loved it and then went to a Family Home Evening that we had last night in Hermana Gladys' house and once again loved it.

We had a miracle the other day when we went to contact a referral but couldn't find it. We mistakenly clapped a house that wasn't hers and found Lorena, who just happened to be the mom of a teenager who was baptized last year. She was going to church with her son but then she got pregnant so she stopped going. She wants to go back and be baptized. Miracles happen. The Lord really is guiding His work and leading us to the people that He has prepared. The Spirit helps me find investigators... it teaches... basically all we do as missionaries is stay worthy of the Spirit and put in the effort to work hard. It is incredible to feel as an instrument in the Lord's hand.

This week I ate an interesting Peruvian dish that is supposedly really expensive in Peru. It was some fish that was cooked in just salt water, rice, and platano, which is from the banana family but isn't banana and actually tastes somewhat like potatoes. It was pretty good. I'm pretty sure Hermana Llerena put a picture that she took of us on facebook.

Today I played ping-pong for the first time in over a year. It was a lot of fun.
 

"Que la fuerza les acompañe."

Love,

Elder John William Garrett