Well, this past week was a little bit
interesting. On Wednesday we went to do a service project for a member who
isn't from our ward, but is taking care of an old woman who lives in our area.
We went to mow the lawn for her. I was mowing with an electric-lawnmower while
my companion was whacking down the lawn with the weed whacker. I felt like we
were mowing down the safari, the grass was so long. The extension cords weren't
that great on the lawn mower and came unplugged many times and I had to replug
them. The last time I did it... well... I didn't have as much luck. As I
reached down to plug them in, less than a split second before making contact, I
noticed that the plug had separated and that there were wires exposed. Too
late. I then felt a current of electricity shoot into my whole body starting in
my left arm. It was literally as if time slowed down almost to a stop. I heard
a horrid screaming sound, and then realized that it was me who was screaming. I
could feel the electricity run throughout my whole body and I could not let go.
It's kind of dumb to say I saw my life flash before my eyes, but I really
actually did. It's hard to explain everything that happened. Fortunately, the
sister from the ward came and whacked the extension cord out of my hand freeing
me from the electrical current. I asked my companion how long I had been
screaming and he said about 5 seconds. Those were probably the longest 5
seconds of my life. After getting released, I fell to my knees. My companion
hadn't realized what was going on, and had thought that I just got mad at the
lawnmower because it didn't work very well. After helping me up, I felt a little
bit like a superhero that could shoot electricity out of his hands. That was
probably the only cool part. I then laid down for about an hour. I had a
headache for about 4 days, but now I'm doing okay. At least it was something
out of the ordinary to write in my journal. Just one thought. What matters most
in life? All of the memories that shot through my head involved my family. I
don't know how close I was to dying or anything, but it made me think about my
priorities in life. I'm so grateful for the knowledge that I have of the gospel
that allows me to trust and feel safety in knowing that death is just another
step in God's plan for us. I'm so grateful for a wonderful family and I love
them so much. I'm grateful for wonderful friends who always helped me make good
decisions. I'm grateful for teachers who worked tirelessly to help me learn and
become a better person. I'm thankful to the Lord for the wonderful blessing
that is serving a full-time mission in Buenos Aires, Argentina. I invite all of
you to really contemplate what really matters, and if you are putting those
things aside for things that are enjoyable, easy, or convenient, you need to
make a change. I guess another thought. When I get home, I plan on never mowing
the lawn again.
We had a little bit of a hard time finding new
people to teach this past week, I'm not really sure what changed, but we weren't
as good at finding new people. This week we've planned a lot of new ways to
find people, and we're going to be focusing a lot on visiting inactive members
that we don't know as well as using Family History work to find new people to
teach.
Juan Domingo is the gentleman that was unable
to be baptized because he was living in the same house as his ex-wife. He is so
great and has so much faith, that after speaking with us, he decided to go find a
new place to live, and will be moving in with his sister and his niece on
Tuesday. We are planning his baptism for this Sunday. It really is incredible
how much can be accomplished if we will but have faith.
José is 15 and a friend of a member here. We
have the signed permission to teach and baptize him. He went to church
yesterday and really liked it and is going to go to mutual tomorrow. We are
working to help prepare him for baptism as well.
I love you all and I hope that this letter
finds you well wherever you may be. May the force be with you.
Love,
Elder John William Garrett
Buenos Aires, Argentina
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