2015-09-21 Independencia

Hola

Hey I have a joke. It starts with a scripture: Mosiah 12:21-24: "Cuán hermosas sobre las montañas son los pies de aquel que trae buenas nuevas..." (You can post it in english because I don´t remember how it goes i english, also Isaiah 52:7-10) This scripture mentions that the feet of he that brings good news (the gospel) are very pretty. Surely this does not include the toes, because I´ve got three ingrown toenails on both large toes and index toe, and two deep scab/callises on my pinky toes! hahahaha it´s actually not my fault, I cut my toe nails. My area Independencia always gives people ingrown toenails, because of all of the hills and staircases and steep roads. except my companion because his toenails are tinier than a babies toenails! (nepoleon dynamite voice: lucky!) But I´m going to go and take them out this monday.

Nooooooo....

 hahaha a pair of pants ripped right at the groin in the middle of the day, not very noticable, but I don´t know how to sew. I have the supplies, but I don´t know how to do it, SOS.

Sounds like thanny did a super good job. Woodbridge is a fun race. But I remember that the bus ride is killer, because you gotta go to the bathroom super bad!

Anyway. This week went by pretty fast (ah sorry that I didn´t tell you that we went to the Temple today!) Elder Ruiz has been a great companion, but our time together is coming to a close this next monday. We still won´t know who goes where until in the night on monday. But I´ll go (or stay) wherever the Lord wants me.

On top of Monterrey

This week I was looking through the Liahonas that had arrived, and it talks A LOT about marriage and the fmaily. It´s obviously something very important. Elder Ballard mentions that we need to be active in defending the truth (In the september edition.) We need to actively defend our beliefs on traditional marriage, that legal and lawful marriage is ordained between a man and a woman. Much was mentioned about that in the past general conference. Here in Mexico, almost all pairs are in free union, and more than 75% of the people I talk with that are living with someone don´t have any intentions to get married. It is pretty sad. It´s a big commandment, and obeying it yeilds BIG blessings (Tell thanny blah blah blah science science science BIGGER) Whether you´re mormon, catholic, protestant, or any other religion, or of no faith at all, the commandments of God stand stronger than the law of gravity. If anyone wants to have a successful relationship, they´ll get married. If anyone desires a successful family, they´ll base their family on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I am greatful mom that you and Dad have done so, so that we can have a happy family, and that we can be together forever.

General conference is coming up soon. I´m pretty darn excited!

I don´t know where [sister of a friend] heard that I was in a dangerous area, cuz I didn´t tell [friend]. And I don´t know why J and C are telling their moms about all of the trouble there is in their [mission] areas. I thought it was a rule not to hahahahaha. But don´t sweat it. My area is prertty calm right now, being right after the elections here in Nuevo Leon nothing has been happening.

Anyway, I still have some gifts for thanny, but if he wants them he has to write a letter.

I´m working hard, and I´ll keep working hard!

I love you!

Elder Garner

p.s. there is a blog for the mission:

monterreywest.weebly.com

2015.9.14 Independencia

Hey guess what! I got a letter from "A" in Cienega! He says he hasn´t missed a single sunday! Atta boy! he´s doing really well, says the missionary that just got changed out of cienega that I saw in the offices today. dangit it just changed to italics and stuff whatever. He also told me (missionary) that "

We are Indepe (slang for Independencia)

M" is still going every sunday and is going to be baptized in november with her younger daughter, when she turns 8 years old! Awesome!

Davis with Cerro de la Silla in the background.

Hey Mom,

I have a bunch of things to say (some of them are kind of goofy)

1st thing. High School Muscial copied Grease! I have no clue how this popped in my head, but I realized, two people that met in the summer, then the girl moves to that school, they´re both about staying in groups and not changing the status or whatever. But High School Musical doesn´t end with a flying car, so I guess Grease takes the case(in the weirdest musical ever.)

2. Why didn´t I ever think about Flat Stanely Missionary before? that would be the coolest thing ever! I mean, I could send him and then have a paper or on back where the missionary writes where they are serving, and they have to take a picture with him in their mission. I´m gonna think more about that because it would be pretty cool.

3. Well don´t worry too much about the air conditioning, because that basically doesn´t exist here. Even the air conditioning that there is is way different and I don´t know, but this week was nice because it cooled off, there was a little bit of rain and a lot of clouds, some wind and just some good weather. My companion said it was cold (hahahaha, it wasn´t cold) It´s ok he´s from Cancun.

4. We believe that the first ordaninces and principles of the gospel are: first, faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Second, repentance. Third, baptism by immersion for the remission of sins. Fourth, laying on of hands, for the gift of the Holy Ghost.

5. hahahaha that was just the 4th article of faith (which does have the best primary song, and sometimes I sing it to the investigators in both languages when we teach the gospel of Jesus Christ.) Well this week was a super cool week. Really hard work, a lot of weird things happened, and we had some success in finding more people to teach! This sunday, we did not have sacrament meetion because we went to the stake center to see the Temple Rededication of the Mexico City, Mexico Temple! Wow was that something! It´s cool that I have been to two rededications on the mission. In the Dedicatory prayer, President Eyering asked for a blessing over the country of Mexico, and that day we could really feel the spirit working in the hearts of the children of men. We were able to talk and teach many people, and find three new investigators that day! It was really exciting indeed.

Weird selfie with Monterrey in the background.

6.Super Weird thing. We were teaching a family yesterday, and they were pretty receptive and all, interested about having an eternal family, and then the baby started to cry. No big deal right? Well the mom picks her up, and opens up her shirt to breastfeed her...RIGHT IN FRONT OF US!!!..."WHAT!" I thought, as I fixed my eyes on the dad, not trying to acknowledge anything. I basically had to imagine that she didn´t exist until the baby had finished. then later on SHE DID IT AGAIN! this time she kind of turned away so I guess it was all cool and stuff. I didn´t see anything either time thank goodness, but how weird!!! After the lesson Elder Ruiz told that it´s just something that they can do whenever I guess. I think that putting a blanket over would be nice.

Streets of Independencia

7. The area independencia is very urban. Most of the houses are very small and crammed together. There are some "vecindads" which are basically tinie-weenie apartments, they´re just one room apartments(very small too.) the higher up you go on the hill, the crazier the roads get, they turn into stairs, the houses lose numbers and it becomes very unorganized. It´s pretty organized below, but up high it is like someone threw all of my puzzle pieces on the floor (or on the hill.) This isn´t a poor area, because these people have all they need and more(like flat screen TV´s and cooler shoes than mine DOPE!)

Anyway, if I added 8 then I would be like the beatles...bad at counting the days of the week,

But the work goes on! Being a missionary is very "In-Style" I recommend it.

I love you mom!

Elder Garner

2015.09.07 Independencia

Hey mom,

tell thanny that he did a GREAT JORB EY!? COACH Z SAYS JURGY FROITS!

that´s a pretty sick time. Well here in Indepencia (yes I am still here) we aren´t doing much running (dang it) but that´s ok (hmmm, not really, thanny will be faster than me when I get home.) [Note: Nathaniel's first meet of the season - 16:45, a personal best.]

I don´t really have a lot to say today. This week we did have one of our investigators bare his testimony. He talked about the trials that he has had in his life and about how God had sent us (the missionaries) to help him find the right path. I felt grateful, and our investigator has been progressing. He still is hesitant for putting a baptismal date, because he has injured legs and he uses crutches and such, but he is feeling more and more ready. We´re just gonna keep working with him and keep trying to find new people to visit that really want to change.

I started the Book of Mormon for the sixth time this week.I´m trying to learn all that I can about the prophets, and why they are so Important, and from what I´ve learned so far, they are Really Important. In 1 Nephi 10:7 we learn that they are there to prepare the way for the Lord, in that instance it is speaking of John the baptist preparing for the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ, but it is a general principle that prophets prepare the way for the Lord. We can confirm that the Latter Day Prophets are truly preparing us for the second coming of the Saviour and to live with God again. Also, they have a resemblance to Christ, as did Moses (1 Nephi 22:20-21) and they really are like him (although not perfect like him) It is our duty to listen to them, for if we do and we are just in what they teach us, we will recieve great blessings and be happy forever(or in other words, we won´t perish 2 Nephi 26:8) We should start thinking about the upcoming General conference, being less than a month now, and ask the Lord for guidance so that we may be blessed and guided through the Prophet´s words. Truly the Prophets bring us closer to Christ (2 Nephi 25:26)

hahaha in most of my preperation days, I think of it as "6 more hours of study time" or something like that. There aren´t much sights to see here in our area, but there´s not problem with that.

dang I forgot my sd card converter to plug it in, so I´m not gonna send any pictures today (but next week yes)

¡Pon tu hombro a la lid! - everyone always writes in a bunch of languages in their letters so me too!

Love,

Elder Garner

2015.08.31 Independencia

Hola,

hey look at that spanisssssh. yes I have learned a word or two in this year i have been here. Here´s something crazy: I come home in exactly one year. Literally I will be getting of of the plane (in burbank) at about this time (10am p.t) on a wednesday. that´s pretty neat. but lets look at the good side, I still have one year and that´s a lot of time, so we don´t have to worry about any of that.

This week was a super good week. It was tough and we basically lost all of our investigators, but that´s ok. The other two missionaries that share the area with us lost all of their investigators too, and they work really hard, so looks like it´s back to the drawing board(maybe literally, although there isn´t really a park in this area to do another mural.) but the truth is marching on no matter.

oh what did thanny talk about? tell him not to worry. One of the talks I gave when I was his age, i couldn´t figure out how to say "economic" and I thought I sounded like a goof ball. I haven´t given a talk since I´ve gotten to this ward, I gave one when I got here, but the bishop asked me to prepare a 15 minute talk, but I was the last to speak and there were only five minutes left, so I was there with my 15 minute talk, given in a brief summary, kind of a bummer but oh well.

I was studying 1 nephi 8 this week ,and there are a lot of great things that we can learn from that chapter. With the help of latter chapters in 1 nephi along with the teachings of the modern prophets and apostles, we can learn so much more. I was reading a talk by Elder Bednar, and he talks about the people that tried to reach the tree of life. The first group mentioned in the dream headed towards the tree, but they got caught in the vapor of darkness and were lost. They did not grab on to the iron rod. The second group grabed on to the rod, and made it through the darkness and to the tree, and partook of the fruit, but after that they saw and heard the people of the great and spacious building and they were ashamed and fell into forbidden pathways. The third group, held on to the rod [constantly] and made it to the tree and partook of the fruit. they did not heed to the mockings or gestures of the people in the spacious building. The key was the rod, and what is the rod? why it´s the word of God of course! The third group held constantly to the word of God, meaning that they were constantly reading, studying, pondering and applying the scriptures. The second group might have read them on occasion, but they didn´t scrutinze them or read them everyday. that´s how we can endure to the end, by reading the scriptures everyday (and in the morning for that burst of power.) What we shouted in primary was true: Scripture Power! Keeps Me Safe From Sin! Scripture Power Is The Power To Win! Scripture Power! Everyday I Need, The Power That I get Each Time I Read! I can really understand the power of the scriptures being a missionary, and I hope you can too. The talk of Elder Bednar was in 2011 october of the Liahona.

Well I hope you have a great week!

Love

Elder Garner

dont have any recent pictures so heres a cool bochito (VW bug)