Hermana Garner - Now a Texan!: 7/18/16

a big hello to all of the people I love!! hope your week was great! mine was sunny and hot.

can I just start by saying that I absolutely love my mission? I never want to come home! I have met people that have changed my life and I will never ever ever forget them and the things that I am learning.

The beginning of this week, we finished our time with Hna. McMullin, the traveling trainer, my childhood friend, and it was amazing! we learned a ton and we were exhausted by the time she had to leave. we had a cool experience while she was here! there is always this guy sitting drinking out on his porch in this apartment complex that we pass by a lot. we have talked to him about 3 times and we finally set up an appointment with him. he says he doesn't know why he is here. he has cancer and has had a really hard life and he doesn't feel like God loves him. we told him not to be drunk for the appointment and it came true! we showed up and he was completely normal and ready to listen. we taught him the Restoration and he committed to be baptized on August 13! we asked him why he wanted to be baptized and he said that he thinks it is time to turn his life around. he wants to change. and that is exactly what this Gospel is about! his name is Jose and he is prepared!!

On Tuesday we ate with la familia Aguirre (new favorite family) and it was awesome. Hna. Aguirre is a true Hispanic and never lets us help her with dishes, cooking, cleaning, anything! But I finally got in and helped her cook dinner while Hna. Hughes visited with the family. She taught me how to make everything and you could tell she really enjoyed it. She told me that I need to learn how to cook Hispanic food because "my Hispanic husband will need it someday!" hahaha shes so funny but she is sooo right! hahaha. she is the sweetest and her son comes out with us a lot to go to lessons. they are a solid family and I love them!!

Wednesday, we met with a new investigator Eda and her cute family. They are from Guatemala and they are very Christian which is awesome. They really want to learn more but don't really want to act, so we will see! After that we went to Oscar's house to finish the new member lessons with him! We started to talk about service and then a family from the ward came over because Oscar is helping them with a certain project. So it kind of got interrupted. We told Oscar we had to go to another appointment while he was visiting with the family. He walked us out and he stopped us outside and said "This is a perfect example. This family needed help, so I am helping them. They don't have a lot, but I am very blessed. I am doing something for someone because they cant do it themselves." and he went on and on about how we need to serve in life because it will help us be more positive and receive more blessings. Before we went in, he said hi to about 4 of his neighbors outside. what a guy. sure do love him a lot.

Anyeli, Elba and Ruben! they are doing okay! Ruben is reading in the Book of Mormon but they just wont come to church! we are going to give them a little break for a while and see how it goes. But one day this week we wanted to teach Anyeli a little object lesson to help her understand baptism. So we brought honey over one day. And we said "Anyeli, have you lied to your mom before?" "yes" so we poured honey on her hands. "have you punched your siblings before?" "yes" more honey on her hands. "have you...etc" by the time we were done her hands were super messy. then we asked her to get her phone and text someone, or turn off the TV or give us a high five, activities that you have to use your hands. And she couldn't! We went over to the sink and washed it off and explained that the honey was your sins. We cant do anything if we are messy and buried in our sins! But with baptism (the water) we can be clean from everything! She told us that she really really wants to get baptized. she is amazing!

this week we had to take it a little slow because we are still recovering from being sick. but this week we are super motivated to push ourselves and talk to as many people as we can! One of our goals is to be tired at night. To come home, take off our shoes and be exhausted. We want to feel like we have spent the day right and that we have done everything we can! Pres. Hall taught us this week that at the end of the day as missionaries we need to say to Heavenly Father, "I have done all that I could." Yesterday, in church I learned from one of the speakers that when we kneel to pray, we show humility. We show Heavenly Father that we are willing to do anything that He asks us. I am working on my diligence this week as my Christlike attribute. I am ready to work in the hot Texas sun and be tired at the end of my days because I only have 8 more short months to do it.

have a great week this week! love you all!

Hermana Garner

this is la familia Aguirre's son, Abraham. He went out with us and brought a baseball bat to scare off this family who has tons of dogs. it was super funny.