Hermana Garner - Now a Texan!: 2/27/17

hello friends and family! its been an awesome week! it already feels like summer here in Texas and we haven't even hit March yet. all of the Texans are already dreading their summer here. its kinda funny.

one of the most exciting things that happened this week was we went over to President Hall's house for an FHE with Jose and his wife and his member friend, Hno. Vanegas. There was also a recent convert there from Pres. Hall's ward. It was so good! President Hall taught so dang well! It was fun to be his companion for a short little time :) He is such a good teacher, I want to be like him someday! after the FHE is was telling everyone that I only had 2 weeks left and how he was going to adopt me and how he was going to change my tag so it said "Hermana Garner-Hall" sure do love him! He taught Jose so well about the feelings of the Spirit and asked him about his baptism. Jose told him that he still hadn't decided yet but was pretty sure it would happen soon. Pres. Hall just told him straight up "getting baptized is one of the most important things we do, and I invite you to do it as soon as you can!" later on the week, we let Jose think and pray a lot about it. we went over on Thursday and we simply said, "So....Jose. What do you think about your baptism?" And he just leans forward, looks at us and says "Next Saturday." YAY! He will be getting baptized this Saturday, March 4 at 5pm! After he made that decision, he has been so excited and happy about it. Pres. Hall said he called Jose yesterday and that he sounded super excited. Pres. Hall is planning on coming to the baptism! It will be amazing! Pres. Hall gave him a spiritual push indeed.

We visited Irma and Clarissa again this week with Hna. Solis and it went great! We talked about church and how important it was to keep the sabbath day holy. Hna. Solis bore a powerful testimony on that and how it has blessed her life, especially her children. That made Irma and Clarissa both get emotional and it said it really hit them and how they want that for their family--the blessings of keeping the Sabbath Day holy. it was amazing! yesterday at church, Hna. Solis shared that experience with the Relief Society and how it helped her, as a teacher!

On Wednesday, we went out with the lovely, Hna. Vanegas (Relief Society President) to go and find some unknown inactive hermanas. We went to so many houses, no one was answering, and it was SO HOT. We were at an apartment complex, walked all the way up to the fourth floor, knocked and no one was there. Hna. Vanegas said, "This is like fourth floor, last door!" she is the cutest. We decided to leave to find the next less-active. I told Hna. Vanegas that she probably wouldn't be home and she said, "Have faith hermana!" and we got there and she was there and welcomed us in so happily and we had an awesome lesson. I need more faith...haha.

Thursday we went to go visit a referral and it was an awesome experience! So many converts that I have are from trying to contact referrals but someone else in that house is prepared and ready. It is so cool! So we went to go contact this referral, her daughter answered and let us in right there! Her name is Annette and she has a cute little family. She said that her mom was the referral and how she is in Mexico until the middle of March! She said she was interested in what we had to say, so we shared the Restoration with her in like 5 minutes and she loved it! She has so many good questions that the Restoration was able to answer. We are so excited so start teaching her! We were completely led to her that day.

we had a Stake Women's Conference on Saturday and it was so good! a little funny story though. we had a dinner beforehand so all of the brazos hermanas were all eating together at our little table. Hna. Regalado (mi abuelita) thinks that "No como con hambre" like it never looks like I'm hungry when I eat her food....she thinks I don't like it or something. So she asked Hna. Solis (mom), "Does Hna. Garner eat well with you?" and she was like "uhhh....I dont know! I guess!" and then other hermanas piped in "She eats everything I give her!" "Yeah she eats pretty good!" "She never asks for seconds though....." and everything in between! I basically got roasted with all of the hermanas in my branch for how I eat....haha. I'm super conscious of how I eat now!! :)

something from that conference that I liked though was what someone said. They said "How do we raise successful missionaries? You raise successful people. You raise good humans" I loved that!

Yesterday at church, I was asked to give a talk super last minute....just kind of how a branch works sometimes. So I decided to talk about the doctrine of Christ and walk the branch through it. It didn't prepare any notes or anything (the first time I have ever done that) and I was super scared! But it actually went a lot better than I thought and I really felt the Spirit. Why? Because the Doctrine of Christ is something that I have learned so much about on my mission, it was so easy for me to share my testimony about it. I have grown such a love for it--it has become my life! It was a powerful experience! That night we went to another meeting at the stake center, came back and were with an RM married couple. We had them teach us the Restoration as a companionship and they killed it. #MARRIAGEGOALS hahahaha. yep.

We are so excited for Jose's baptism this Saturday, pray for him!! love you all!

Hermana Garner