Hermana Garner - Now a Texan!: 10/3/16

hello everyone! hope you all had a good week with some cooler weather! it is FINALLY starting to cool down here which makes me the happiest missionary alive!

this week was a good one and almost life-changing!

my trainee is amazing! her name is Hna. McAdams and she is from Wyoming. she is such a hard-worker and has such a love for the work already. she has so much energy and loves people. sounds like my kind of girl, right? I know that Heavenly Father has put her in this point of my mission for a reason! I have already learned so much from her, she is actually training me!!! We have tons of new goals that we are so excited about for these next 3 months. after I am done training her, I will only have 2 transfers left. I have to make the best out of it---it is prime time!

so on Tuesday, Hna. McAdams' real day in the mission field she talks to EVERYONE. She does all door approaches, she talks to everyone she sees and she is so joyful about it all. walking miracle am I right? she is awesome.

so this was one of the sweetest tender mercies I saw this week. so that couple that called us wanting to know if they could come to English class? they came! and this is how our first conversation went.

"hellooo! how are you guys? names? where are you from?"

"Mexico"

"what part?"

"mexico city"

"oh really?? what part of mexico city?"

"Neza"

"I served part of my mission there! where in Neza?"

*starts naming streets and names the street I LIVED ON*

This guy used to live on Victor (my convert)'s street and his parents still live there. Out of anywhere in the world, this sweet couple is from the part of the world that I love, down to the very street. I was crying a little bit and had to take a picture with them. We are instantly bonded and connected and they loved English class! There were a lot of members in the building that night so they could meet a lot of people! it was so great!

we have a new investigator!! finally! for the first time in about a month! His name is Pepe and he is the boyfriend of one of our less-actives, Hna. Paz who is coming back to the church recently! we went over to her house on Friday to read the Book of Mormon with her and it went super well so she invited us over on Sunday to eat her tamales! (never turn down tamales) Dont know if you remember, but Hna. Paz’s house was the one where all of those people were fighting and arguing about the church and we just sat there and her boyfriend was the drunk one yelling about how God doesn't exist) we have visited her a few times after that and her boyfriend has listened in and out. but yesterday, we went over, ate with her and had an awesome lesson after. Her boyfriend, Pepe, was super interested about baptism and wondered why she was baptized. I am sure it strengthened her testimony telling him about that. It was a cool moment and we are seeing them next Sunday! we walked out and we were about to drive away, when they both came out and gave us 2 roses. It made my day! I am a sucker for flowers especially from the people that I have come to love!

speaking of less-actives, we visited Hna. Avila on Saturday, a less-active woman who also wants to return to church. We visited her to tell her that general conference (held twice a year, this conference takes place in Salt Lake City and is broadcast around the world. Men and women who are church leaders speak and share thoughts on how we can improve our lives and become closer to Jesus Christ.) was on Saturday and invite her to conference on Sunday. we talked about prayer and how powerful it is. something that I remember from conference is that the single second that we say the words "Heavenly Father", He starts to listen. In that very second, He is there. She really loved that and she said that changed the way she looks at prayer. She loved what we shared with her and she just sat there thinking for a lot of the time. We invited her to conference on Sunday. When we went to visit the "Hispanic room" (the room with spanish translations) she was there sitting in the front row. prayer changes people.

General Conference was amaaaaaazing and every single word was for me. All of my questions were perfectly answered and I was so uplifted and edified. It was just what I needed. President Uchtdorf's (one of the leaders) talk started it off perfectly by reminding us how great the gospel is and how we still need to "be in awe". He said "We walked with Heavenly Father in our pre-mortal life--isn't that amazing?" how amazing is the plan He has for each one of us. other quotes I loved:

"When we pray, are we really praying or are we just saying prayers?"

"stumbling blocks can be made into stepping stones"

"We need to accept God's corrections"

"We may be content with who we are, but our Savior sees much more glorious potential"

"Be ambitious for Christ"

"Sharing the gospel isn't a burden, it is a joy"

"Each and everyday can be a day full of joy and gladness"

"the biggest miracle in the gospel is repentance"

"when we worship, it is a spiritual feast"

"Dont let a problem unsolved become more important than someone being loved"

"Suffering doesn't have value unless we are learning from our afflictions"

"Instead of making excuses, let us choose repentance"

and sooo many more!

Kazuhiko Yamashitaff gave a wonderful talk about a missionary in Japan wanting to know why he went to that mission in the first place. It brought so many tears to my eyes, I related to it so much! I can't wait to go back and read it again. if you haven't watched General Conference yet: please watch it!!!! it will change your life. (Talks can be found here: https://www.lds.org/general-conference?lang=eng)

Kayla and Tomasa aren't doing awesome. We had to drop Kayla's baptismal date because she doesn't come to church. Tomasa has been super busy with family and stuff and might have told her son that she doesn't want to get baptized. It is sad, but everyone has their own time! we are praying for very specific people and families this week to find, so hopefully it will be the Lord's will this week to find them.

I am in such a happy place now. Being a trainer is such a cool responsibility and I have already learned so much about Hna McAdams, myself and the Lord. I love these people in this little town of Rosenberg and I love serving with them- they are great missionaries! I love this work and I love being His missionary.

Hermana Garner