A Week in Paradise

Hello to my wonderful family and friends!!

How are you all? I hope that this letter finds you all well and spiritually filled after a wonderful Sunday yesterday! 

This week has been kind of an interesting week for us here in Piura...the whole week has been overcast and cloudy...and it's been kind of cold at night?! Even though during the day it's still been pretty hot, the cloud cover has provided a pretty nice protection from the sun's direct rays! I'm so grateful for clouds :)

So this week, we did a lot of service! One day we helped Hermana A. wash her dog, Katalina. It was kind of fun and also kind of gross. I'm not sure if it's for the heat, but there are tons of gross little animals here....she had a bunch of fleas. I didn't take them out, but there were some really big ones and it was pretty nasty. Hopefully Rex never gets those. Eew. Haha. But it was a huge help for Hermana A. because her dog is pretty big, so it was nice to have some extra hands. 

This week we had an exchange with the sisters from Miraflores. I got to go there (again haha...pretty sure their ward council feels like I'm pretty much an honorary member haha) and I was with Hermana E. It was super fun to be with her, and as usual I learned a ton and had a wonderful experience. It's kind of interesting because she and I actually came here to Piura in the same group, but a few weeks after we finished our training, she had to go home because of back problems. After being home for 6 months, she finally got clearance to come back on the mission. I admire her a lot, because it was a really difficult decision for her, but she's back with all her desires to work and finish her mission well! One of the experiences that I loved during our exchange was when we went to visit an old, lonely member of their ward named Hermano C. I appreciated so much that visit that we had with him. As we talked with him about his goal for Alma and Amulek, I was struck by the respect, love and awe that he has for the scriptures and the words of the latter day prophets. I left that lesson with a goal to learn to read the scriptures and appreciate them like Hermano C. His spirit was so powerful, and he's only been a member for about 3 years. As we walked away, I felt the strong impression that I was very blessed for having had the opportunity to meet this person with such a powerful spirit. 

Speaking of special spirits, one of our recent converts is pregnant right now and is about to have her baby!! This last week, the RS threw her a baby shower (it's kind of funny because here they call it a baby shower too haha. Fun fact.) and when they announced it last Sunday, Hermana A. got super excited and got all into it. She brought a ton of balloons and decorations and all sorts of fun games to play. It was fun to watch her start to really interact with the RS sisters. She is so amazing and I pray so much that she'll be able to stay active and strong in the church always, but I understand that would be really hard if she doesn't start to get more involved. So the baby shower was a perfect opportunity and it was fun to see her in her element!

This week has been a little bit rough, but at the same time such a neat week. It's so interesting how sometimes the more we feel like we are doing, the less result we see. I have never, in my whole mission, or even in my whole life, felt like I am progressing so much as a person. Hermana G. has been such an inspired companion for me. She is always helping me see the best in myself, and has been my strength and support in some of my most difficult moments. But even with all of the progress I feel like I am making as a missionary and as a person, our numbers just keep going farther and farther down. I know that the numbers are not the most important thing, but sometimes I feel like with all that we are doing to apply all of the things that President Rowley and President Monson hope we are applying, there should be more results. However, with that said, I know that there is a time and place for everything. My testimony gets stronger every day that there really isn't anything impossible for the Lord, and that it doesn't matter how much I mess up, if I'm willing to put my faith in Him and keep trying to do my best, He will make everything work out just how He knows it should be. 

This week we've been able to visit the wife of a brother in our Ward Council. She has met a lot of missionaries before, and Hermana G. and I are really grateful for all that those sisters did to help her to get to this point, because she has been receiving us really well. It's interesting because there are so many things that she tell us that have so much truth in them. Lots of times there are a few holes in the doctrines, but they have the right direction. That has been such a testimony to me that there really is truth in many places, but here in the restored gospel, we have the fullness. I love this work and I love the blessing to see the Lord's hand in all things in my life, even when things don't always turn out exactly how I would have liked or planned. I want you all to know that I love you all so much. I am so grateful for this gospel and the truth and hope and strength that it brings to my life, even in the most difficult moments. 

Please don't forget to always keep up your habits of daily scripture study and prayer--personally and in your family. There is nothing more powerful and important than making and persevering in those habits. Love you all and hope that if you're not currently doing those things, that you can make the necessary changes. I testify that this gospel is true and that it is the key to finding all the joy that we will ever need in this life.

Much love,

Hermana Garner

p.s. If you guys remember, I've commented a couple of times about an inactive sister named M. that has been coming to church the last couple of Sundays...well she's been passing through a few really tough trials lately and wasn't able to go to church this weekend. If you guys could keep her in your prayers, it would be much appreciated! Thanks!

Last week Hermana G.taught me how to make arroz chaufa (one of my favorite dishes here)

Our district's trip to Morropon

Samantha's District (this is the first time that she has been in a
district where there are more North American's than South American's)