2015.05.25 Cienega de Flores

Dear mom,

Wooooooahhh I´ve been on a mission for about 9 months now. Time flies. Well we have transfers today, but we don´t know if anyone goes or stays or any of that until the night, hmm.

This was a good week, a lot of things happened. A prepared this whole week to get baptized, we finished all of the lessons and all. He was super prepared and had built up his testimony. There was only one thing that impided him to get baptized...work on sunday.. We prayed every day of the whole week that his boss would give him work of that day. He was many lessons where the power of the spirit of the Lord was so strong you could not deny it. arturo was ready, he was praying too. He had to make his decision saturday night and we would find out by him coming to church or not. We did not doubt that he would come. We had built up our faith like a great walll.

well! he didn´t come, he went to work, because it´s a new job and the boss still won´t give him that day off yet because he´s new. But we had such great faith! all of us! was it all in vain? Of course not! Maybe A used his agency to go to work and something radical didn´t happen to allow him to come to church and be baptized, but he is not lost, his testimony is not crushed. Our development of faith is not wiped away. I still felt great yesterday, even though arturo didn´t get baptized. We watched a video in the gospel principals class, of a convert who recieved the blessing in his confirmation that his example would help his family accept the gospel. Well, when he is baptized, the family gets more uptight about the gospel, because he won´t work on sundays. It bothers his father and they mock him that he is taking religion more important than his family. The convert gets stressed and asks his bishop "why is my family less receptive now, I thought they would be more receptive?" the bishop told him "Well sometimes we don´t recieve blessing right away, sometimes we have to have raith, keep being obedient, and just wait. Trust that the Lord will complete his promises," In the video, the family does not become more receptive to the gospel, but that´s just the video, Arturo did not get baptized this week..but that´s just the week! I can keep strengthening this great faith that I have been building up, for the benefit of A and all others!

Davis' selfie with his whole zone.

Also, the Water in the whole town of Cienega de Flores went out, It was awesome that we couldn´t brush our teeth or anything! Everyone said it wouldn´t come back until thursday...oh goodness! But guess what?! It came back this morning so we could shower in cold water and brush our teeth! A MIRACLE!! That was pretty awesome. 

right now there is a medium sized spider crawling on my computer screen...

"look out! Terrible joke INCOMING!"

...guess it´s just hanging out on the net...

Nathaniel looks super goofy as always, and more preppy. Horchata wasn´t a really big thing here during the holiday season, but there is something called i don´t remember, but it´s something like hot chocolate but it isn´t and it´s made with corn and (i dont like it yuck) but that´s alright!

Te amo mama!

Elder Garner

2015-05-18 Cienega de Flores

Dear mom,

El Autobús Mágico was probably the best idea ever. I´ll read them when I have the time in my language study and then when I have a companion or anyone who is american, I can start giving them away. [We gave Davis a bunch of "Magic School Bus" childrens' science books in Spanish because he wanted to learn science vocabulary in Spanish.]

This week was super good! and super hard! I´ve realized that Cienega de Flores is just a tough area, more than Nicolas Bravo at least. With less members, more area, less english, more faith required, sometimes it makes me tired, but i just put my shoulder to the wheel,push along, and do my duty with a heart full of song, it works! Goodess gracious I´m sweaty.

We have an investigator that is preparing to get baptized this week, his name is A, as I´ve told you. He has a great testimony in the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, and does things such as reading and praying, because he wants to! not because he feels like he´s obligated to. He has a bit of oposición right now, which is that his boss is having him work on sundays, so until he gets that day off for rest, he can´t get baptized. He really thinks that he can get it off, and he´s been praying so that he may get sunday to rest. right now he has monday off (so close!) But he´s a great guy, he works in a company that makes juice so he said he´s going to bring us some next time, and he´s super funny. It´s really fun to teach him, and have him ask questions and see him reach an understanding of the principles. We had a powerful lesson with him about the word of wisdom, where two convert members expressed their testimonies about not drinking or smoking anymore and receiving great blessings. He isn´t addicted to anything, but he said that once in a while he´d smoke a cigarette or take a drink. He prayed, at the end of the lesson, to receive the strength to live the word of wisdom and to know that it is true. Bien con ganas Arturo es.

Well, I´m still putting on my sunscreen, and it´s hard to eat healthy here I don´t really know what to do about that but hope that the members feed me something healthy. I´m still feeling great! Elder H and I are working awesome!!

I love you mom,

Davis   

2015-05-12 Cienega de Flores and Davis' 19th Birthday

Happy Birthday Davis, May 14, 1996.

2015-05-12 Cienega de Flores

Hey Mom,

It was really nice to talk to you guys this past weekend. Too bad thanny wasn´t there. Anyway, between then and sunday, not much happened. I´ve been thinking a lot about the book of mormon, and how important it is. I told you guys the story about the lady who gained a testimony of the restoration through the book of mormon, and I told my mission president in my letter as well, and I think it´d be a good experience to share with everyone:

I have learned a lot more about trusting in the spirit, and the power of the book of mormon. Last sunday we had an exerience where we found a lady and we taught her about the restoration and about the book of mormon, inviting her to be baptized. When we came back that saturday, she declared to us that she had read the book and she had prayed...and she had recieved an answer that it was all true. Wow! how incredible. I could never do anything such as that. It´s like what Elder Anderson metioned in his talk this general conference talking to pres. monson years ago: We do all we can to hasten the work of the Lord, but this is the Lord´s work, and he opens doors, and works miracles that we can scarcely imagine. I found myself in the priesthood class this sunday learning about what Pres. Benson said about the book of mormon, it´s holy promise, and how we must concentrate everything on the book and its promise. Then later in the night I re-read "The Challenging and Testifying Missionary" another time. That night, I think I might of had some mixed dream or something, where I was talking at the pulpit, or someone else I don´t know, about the importance of teaching with the spirit, and letting the spirit teach through the power of the Book of Mormon. The person talking said "If we aren´t allowing the spirit to teach through us, and throught the book of mormon, then what are we doing?!" Well I woke up thinking "Well if I didn´t already know how important it is to do everything with the spirit and the book of mormon...I do now!"

Elder H and Davis at the Monterrey Temple

Something else that I have learned about this week has been sacrifice. The mission is a sacrifice, but there are so many opportunities to sacrifice even more mom. To sacrifice all of our efforts, our talents, our smiles. To sacrifice our man-like characteristics by ridding ourselves of pride, disobedience, fear, complaints, and all else. It is not an easy task, but what Elder Ringwood reminds me is that the good news of the gospel is that the desires of our hearts can be transformed. I´ll be honest sometimes you think "have I even made any progress at all in my mission?" but then again, when we see how much we still have to go to make it to the peak of the mountain, we often forget how much we have done to get to the point that we are. As long as we are progressing up that mountain towards perfection, through the gospel and love of Jesus Christ, our Heavenly Father is happy with us.

It wasn´t that had to end the call THIS time, but it was still pretty hard mom. It´s also super hard to not open my [birthday] presents yet hahahhaa. In the next package you send me, can you send a packet of college ruled paper(100 sheets) and hi chew of course. And US stamps. That´s about it.

Way to go Nathaniel!! Now do school and get good at spanish!

"¡Andele Thanny!¡ Ya pónte en tus estudios y mejórate en español!"

I love you all so much, thanks for everything,

Elder Davis Garner

2015-05-06 Cienega de Flores

Dear mom,

I feel awesome spiritually but like poop physically. Cienega de flores is SUPPPER far from the temple, we woke up at 3 am to get there, yeeesh ahahahaha. But it is very nice to go to the temple. this temple is small but very pretty inside and outside.

anyway, skype call. Since the internet here is super balogna here, so president swapp gave us permission to go to a ciber with skype on saturday. but, I will be going with Elder S [Davis’ trainer] not my companion elder H, because Elder H is going to do it another way by going to a different ward with some other missionaries on sunday to use the bishop´s tablet and long story short, I won´t be able to introduce Elder H to you and I´ll just be with Elder S. His comp is from bolivia and so his mother´s day isn´t until the 29th, but yea...

anyway...on SATURDAY, we plan to arrive at the ciber at 5ish(3pm for you) and elder s will go first probably and then me, but to be sure, be ready at 3pm this saturday, and i´ll call at 3pm or 4 (your time) does that sound ok? I hope so honestly these video calls make me so nervous I would much rather do a call but I don´t have the time to find where or anything. This frustrated me at the plane and at christmas because I don´t want you guys to be disappointed. but be ready at 3pm on saturday ok?

Hey but if it doesn´t work on saturday I will find a way to call by phone on sunday! :)

Anyway, besides that little frustrating thingy, I´m doing super well. I´m super happy and my testimony is ever growing. When we have terrible day where no one wants to listen, I don´t feel depressed of anything, I still feel cheerfurl. I´m learning more and more about how I can strengthen my faith, even with a plate full of trials. My companion and I are doing great, I don´t feel lonely at all speaking spanish. We make a lot of jokes, get a long really well, were good buddies now.

Right now I am super tired, I have a headache so I´m just going to leave you with this right now. Don´t worry I´m just physically tired, but spiritually I am rock and roll!!!!! I love you very much, I´ll see you on saturday.

Davis

p.s. Elder H says I should just open the tie [from Davis’ birthday package] up so I can wear it for skype so I think I will, but the rest I will wait.