Micaela Bastidas...transfer #3!

Dear family and friends,

What a week! I'm not sure why, but the last week of the transfer always seems to be the most exciting...and this week was certainly no exception to that! We had a zone meeting and interviews with President on Tuesday, Elder V.'s (one of the elders in our ward) birthday on Thursday, a big activity with the ward called "My Plan of Salvation" on Friday, then on Saturday transfers and a baptism for the sister missionaries in Enace (another ward in our zone)...along with all the normal everyday work of missionaries! But, I'd much rather be busy than bored, so all in all it was a really good week.

In our meeting with President Rowley, we talked a lot about working with the members and talking to the people in the street. We're working on trying to talk to at least 15-20 new people in the street each day! Sometimes it's really hard for me to do that, especially because my companion is kind of shy...but I'm trying really hard to be a good example for her. It was a really good meeting and it was a good reminder for me. Our interviews also went really well. President Rowley was really impressed by how well Hermana G. and I get along. He told me that you can really just tell by the way they act if the missionaries get along with their companions, and he says that he can tell that we get along. It's so true...I love that girl with all my heart. I really feel as if she was my daughter (even though she's actually older than me) she's so tender and so wonderful and supportive and humble...it was super hard to let her go today! 

Hermana Garner and Hermana G.

The biggest news of the week was the activity that we had on Friday night. It was a HUGE hit. We talked about the three kingdoms of glory...Celestial, Terrestial and Telestial. To try and start the activity more on time, we decided to have 4 different rooms. The first one was where the people went when they first got to the activity and they saw a video of the plan of salvation in general, then they moved to the respective rooms of the three kingdoms of glory, starting with Telestial and finishing with Celestial. It worked out perfectly because we started the activity with the first group that was there around 7:30 and by the time the rest of the people got there we were able to have the second group go through. After they had both finished we got everyone together in the celestial kingdom and listened to the primary kids sing songs about the Plan of Salvation, then served arroz chaufa and chicha morada. there ended up being about 80 people there (including investigators and members). It was really fun, helped us find some new investigators, and helped the ward members (especially the ward council members) work together to pull off the activity.

Hermana Garner showing us the Celestial Kingdom

On Saturday we were able to convince Hermana T. to go to the baptism in Enace and wow. It was such a spiritual experience and I really think she enjoyed it. The spirit was so strong and the testimony of the young man that was baptized was so powerful. I'm so grateful that she was able to go..hopefully it will help her to see what she could be able to feel :)

Also on Saturday night they told us that Hermana G. would be going to Paita and that her good friend-Hermana P.-from the CCM would be coming here to be my companion! It was a bitter sweet experience to see her board that bus this morning....I honestly kind of felt like a real mother sending my daughter off on the mission! But I know that she'll do amazing things in Paita and that Hermana P. and I will keep working hard here in Micaela! 

Hermana Garner and her new companion

I'm so grateful for my Savior Jesus Christ and for the amazing opportunity that I have to preach His gospel here in Peru! Love you all so much! Don't forget to study your scriptures, pray and have your Family Home Evenings!

Also, this weekend we're going to have an activity for a sister that we've been working with so that she can raise money to get married and get baptized! Please pray that everything will work out well! Love you!!

Love,

Hermana Garner