Hermana Garner - Now a Texan!: 1/9/17

hello friends and family! this week was awesome with the new schedule change, we feel like we did so much more and we were at our apartment so much less!!

its cold here, if you can believe it. below 30 degrees some days!

we have 2 new investigators! their names are Irma and Clarissa. Irma is the mom of the family and Clarissa is one of the daughters, she is 23. We were just knocking on doors one day and knocked on their door and said we could come back another day because she was in the middle of something. We got her number but couldn't contact her again and she was never home. But one day this week, we walk into CVS and guess who is the cashier? Irma! So we talked to her and set up an appointment for the next day. We got there the next day and her daughter was their with her little baby daughter. They are the nicest people ever! We taught the first lesson and Irma was crying through most of it. At the end, she explained to us that her husband left their family about 1 year ago (Irma has 4 kids in total, 2 older girls and 2 young boys) and they are still suffering from that. She said that we are an answer to her prayers and she wants to start going to church again and her whole family too. Clarissa also said that she is struggling and thinks this will really help her. They are so prepared and we are so excited to start teaching them!

we are starting to take down all of the Christmas trees and decorations we helped put up this year for the old ladies. so on Thursday, we went over to Hna. Castro's house to help her with her tree. we walked in and she said we had to eat pupusas first (FAVORITE)!!! so we did and then helped her with her tree! her baby granddaughter was there and she was the cutest thing! the funniest thing was this: I had the hiccups like 6 times that day. When I hiccuped, the little baby would make the same noise and start laughing, which made me laugh and hiccup which made her do the noise, etc etc. We were all crying laughing for about 10 minutes straight.

Something sad this week was Jose was in the hospital for a couple days! He had an infection in his foot from his diabetes! kinda random, but it got him real sick. when we found out, we went over there with our branch mission leader and sang some hymns to him. when we were singing, all of the nurses from every corner stopped and watched us in Jose's room. they were amazed! hahaha we aren't good singers, but they felt the Spirit. it was cool to see. later that night, we went to the hospital again and some priesthood holders that Jose knows came over and gave him a blessing. the nurses were amazed of how many people came to visit him that day. I think he felt really really loved. Also this week, we had an amazing lesson with him! he. has. changed. it is my absolute favorite thing on the mission where you can really tell that someone has changed.... I LOVE IT! He participated so much in the lesson and had some really good thoughts. At the end, he said the prayer and it was the best prayer he has ever done! When we met him, he refused to pray in front of us and when he did, he didn't remember how. Now, he is so comfortable and his prayers are so heartfelt! He came to church yesterday and he was just glowing. He stayed after for a while talking to a member, Hno. Flores about fishing, something they both love. He won't be able to be baptized this Saturday, because he still doesn't feel ready, but we are hoping he can enter the waters of baptism soon!

something sweet with Hna. Regalado happened this week. We were over at her house helping her take down/put up old decorations and Hna. McAdams was in the bathroom, Hna. Regalado pulls my head into her shoulder and says "We are going to miss you so much. I love you because you are so humble" she is my favorite lady.

on Saturday, we ate dinner with the Solis family. we made homemade tortillas and she made us the best soup on the coldest day. they just make me happy.

yesterday, as I was sitting on the stand looking at my branch, I started tearing up, thinking about how much I have grown to love them and how they are my family. How much they sacrifice to be at church every Sunday and how much they love their Savior, Jesus Christ. I am the luckiest person in the world to be able to do this everyday and to see people change because they are growing closer to their Heavenly Father. I know He lives and He loves us! This week I found an amazing scripture that I have been sharing with all members. It is in Mormon 9:31 and it says: "Condemn me not because of mine imperfection, neither my father, because of his imperfection, neither them who have written before him; but rather give thanks unto God that he hath made manifest unto you our imperfections, that y may learn to be more wise than we have been"

I fell in love with these words and how instead of seeing our imperfections as negative things, we need to thank God for letting us recognize them and try to be humble enough to do better. None of us our perfect, but because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ we can change and be better people. Something that I am working on this week is my daily repentance and trying to use the Atonement as much as I can because that is why it is there. If we don't use it, we don't understand it's purpose.

love you all and thank you for your support!

let me know if there is anything I can do for you!

Hermana Garner