2015.12.14 Independencia

Dear Mom!

Hey how is everything going! This week was super duper, and to top it off, my handy dandy bird calendar tells me that the Christmas bird count starts today! So get out there and get counting! Besides that there really isn´t much else

love you

Nativity scene at the Monterrey Temple

elder garner

[Note to reader: Davis thought it was funny to send only this short email and then wait another 30 minutes before sending any more. Mom doesn't think it is very funny.]

Pssht yea right, a bunch of cool stuff happened this week. Where do I start. Well it sounds like the stake idea was super good, and it´s pretty funny that thanny was a robber, but I hope he got his recompense of justice, maybe he can read Alma 41. 

Anyway, we did another service project this week. We cleaned part of someones house, because it had set up in flames so everything was burnt and we swept everthing out and made it look all empty and less burnt. It was fun, but there was a lot of "sackcloth and" ashes (a good place to repent ey!?) and so we had mouth covers and even still I was coughing a bit during the day. No matter.

Also, this week was a very big week for mexico. Let me start with the more worldy things, and then we will go to the more spiritual things.

First of all, The Tigres (soccer team here in Monterrey) one the national cup last night so everyone in the streets was going crazy and yelling and shooting off fireworks...actually until 4:30 in the morning. That´s some celebratory stamina if you ask me. But I woke up at about 4 today and there were still fireworks going off, pretty crazy if you ask me.

Vamos Tigres!

Also, 12 of December is the birthday of the virgen maria guadalupe, so this whole weekend all of Monterrey came to our area to go to the giant catholic church and all of the stores and shops nearby. There were lots of parades, bands, traditions and noise. That contributed to the crazyness (and coolness of the week)

Lastly, We went over to the chapel of the temple yesterday to watch the broadcast of the Tijuana Temple Dedication. Wow was that amazing. I´ve been to the rededications (or the transmitions) but never a dedication. That was something different. President Uchtdorf was the one who dedicated the temple, and he gave a wonderful talk before offering the dedicatory prayer. He mentioned that we should always walk upright before God and be worthy to go to the temple continually. He invited everyone un Mexico to remember this special experience (and to write it in their journals, especially the youth.) Speaking of that, I finished the second journal I had and have now started in the new one, so I will see if there´s a quick way that I can send it, or if I will just hold on to it until I come home.

I´m kind of posed like a sister missionary, dang it...whatever i don´t even care!

Elder T and I worked harder than ever to finish this change. We truly thrusted in our sickle with all of our might. For that we were able to find a humble man who had just came out of prision, who wanted to change his whole life for his family. He wants to find God, and we contacted him on thursday and went to visit him on saturday. We talked about his family, and shared a message about the restoration of the Gospel and how throught knowing that it was true, he could change his life, be forgiven of his sins, and make promises with God to have an Eternal family. That touched his heart, and he felt the spirit, as he described: "A happiness that fills my chest, that I´ve never felt before, but something that gives me peace and hope for a better world." (Isn´t that what Moroni tells us in Ether 12:4? ) That was a very special experience that we had, along with many others this week, that I recorded in my journal. I know that when we talk about the importance of family, we can attract people´s attention, and when we teach them that the way that we can make covenants with our loving Heavenly Father to have an eternal family has been restored on the earth, they can feel the spirit. Try doing that this Christmas: Share the message of peace and good will.

Well I literally have no clue where I will be tomorrow. I´ve been here for 6 months, but there is a rumor that I will stay another change (which would be perfectly fine with me) but we´ll see tonight. I will confirm how we will communicate for Christmas next week. I´ll try to send a lot of pictures from the area.

Well, tell thanny not to rob anymore gold coins.

I love you!

Elder Garner