So this has been a really incredible week, and I wish that I could just tell you all in person everything that happened. We saw so many miracles, and it's been just mind blowing to see how much the Lord blesses all of us as we do everything that we can for Him.
I guess I should mention that I am staying in La Sal and Paradox, but my companion is not. Sadly, Sis. Fackrell will be leaving. However, I am getting her trainer, Sister May, as my next companion! So that's exciting. I've heard great things about her, so I'm looking forward to everything (despite all the nerves that come with taking over an area).
So I can't remember if I told you or not...but we go eat lunch at the Senior Center here on Wednesdays and Fridays, and then help with the dishes afterwards. There's a lady who works there (not a member) who we've been trying to meet with, and we finally caught her home this week! She and her husband just got home from getting wood off the mountain (the mountains are the La Sals, and yes, people have wood burning stoves here). Well we asked if they would teach us how to split wood, since that's a huge service on the Reservation, and they laughed as we split wood in our skirts. IT WAS AWESOME. Man, if you've never split wood you haven't lived. The feeling of the maul (axe with a weight on the back) slamming down and hearing the wood crack and splinter...man that's a good feeling. If it didn't make me so sore, I could do it all the time! The lady and her husband told us they weren't interested in learning from us, but that we could come over any time. Little do they know, that's what everyone says, and then they get baptized. Okay not necessarily, but we are definitely softening them up!!
That same lady also has the cutest Norwegian Dwarf goats. It's ridiculous how cute they are. I love it. Speaking of goats, we helped Steve walk his goats again! He's the mostly blind man who told us that he would probably end up a Mormon in 3 or 4 years. We're just helping speed up that process. His goats are a lot bigger than Norwegian Dwarf goats though, because they are milk goats/pack goats. So we have to walk them through the sage brush to help the baby goats get used to walking through rough terrain. It's so fun. We go exploring in these sage brush patches in the middle of La Sal, right on the main roads, that nobody knows about. The goats eat the sage brush, and we see ruins of an ancient La Sal that once existed. It's pretty sweet.
Also I went to a baby shower for a former investigator! Let me tell you, I thought I knew about child birth, about everything that happened when you got to the hospital. But I found out, that I know nothing. NOTHING. I don't even know why people have children if it's as miserable as everyone at the party made it sound. I mean I'm grateful for children and I want children, but if that's what has to happen to my body, I'm not so sure about it...
Also, I drowned a giant spider. We have a RIDICULOUS spider problem in our apartment, and it's driven Sis. Fackrell and I crazy and to desparate measures. We created what we call "The Smasher" that is able to get in corners and survive being slammed multiple times against the wall/ceiling/floor. We're considering mass producing and selling it when we get home.
Lastly, let me try and quickly explain what happened with a man named Bro. Stocks this week. Bro. Stocks is a less active man who used to be a temple worker and a bishop at one point in his life. He has an incredibly strong testimony, and man it's been awesome to teach him. We've had a couple lessons with him, and this week we went to see him and he just kept talking. I think he talked for 45 minutes, and it was all this guilty talk about the weight of the priesthood and how bad the world is and all these other things that I can't even remember. At one point, he had said that if the Lord called him back to church, he would go. I tried to jump in and start our lesson, but he kept talking! Finally he stopped, and Sis. Fackrell started crying and said "Bro. Stocks, Christ needs you now." WHAM. Spirit just poured into the room and overflowed it. By the end of the lesson, we were all in tears and Bro. Stocks said he'd been feeling the call for a while to start going back to church, and that it started about the same time that we started meeting with him. I wish I could describe how powerful that feeling was, how much I felt the truth of what Sis. Fackrell said. I wish I could describe how I felt after I came out of the lesson, got in the car with Sis. Fackrell, where we drove to the closest stop sign and burst into tears that we couldn't control, tears of overwhelming joy. I wish I could describe the feeling that I had as I saw him walk in those doors to the chapel.
This is what missionary work is all about. It's helping people come back to Christ, whether they are a member of the church or not. They chose to come here once, they chose to follow Christ once. But so many of us have forgotten. Now it's our job to bring them back, to help them see how much Christ wants them back, needs them back. We're there to issue that call to come Home.
Your challenge this week is to take the time to be still and reflect on all that Christ has done for you, all that He does, and all that He will continue to do for you.
Your scripture is Alma 1:19-20, because I want you to remember that even the people in the Book of Mormon faced persecution. So what makes us think that we will be exempt from that?
I LOVE YOU ALL. You're fantastic. Be good, and remember to read your scriptures EVERYDAY.
Sister Garcia
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