November 25, 2014

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Thanksgiving!

Hello all you wonderful people!!

This week has been a fantastic one. Really cold, as usual now, with a hint of snow. Just some flurries. We tracked a little in the snow (okay fine...the flurries) out in Paradox this week, and it was way fun. Freezing, but fun.

Everyone looks at me funny when they ask how we like the cold and I remind them that I'm from California and I don't see snow very much. They can't imagine life without snow and they just have this look of "oh I'm so sorry it's so cold right now since you're from California."

We had exchanges this week, which was great! Sis. May went to Dove Creek CO (famous for their beans) for two days and I stayed in La Sal and Paradox while the companions in Dove Creek switched places (so I had one companion for one of the days Sis. May was gone, and the other the next day). It was fun. Exchanges are always so stressful, but they make you appreciate your own companion who knows the people and the area. Sigh. But they're good for me.

We went and split wood with an old retired couple, the Deeters! They already claimed us for Christmas morning and Christmas dinner, so that will be awesome! While Bro. Deeter was working the chainsaw (we can't handle power tools) we went exploring and found some crazy things, like twisty trees and cow bones licked clean by coyotes. So when the chainsaw stopped running we went and split the wood for the Deeters while they watched and laughed at our commentary and our lack of skills. Then we loaded it in the truck. Well we were talking about planking and I saw the perfect stump that Bro. Deeter had chopped, so I walked over and started planking on it, which started this chain reaction where Sis. May wanted to plank on it, and then we convinced Bro. Deeter to do it too! It was great. Except for the part when the log tipped over on the uneven ground while I was on it and I face planted in the ground. I'm sure I looked hilarious. Also with the Deeters, we talked about how we wanted a Christmas tree, so we hunted for one and found the perfect little tree for our apartment! So they're taking us out this coming Saturday to split more wood and get our Christmas tree :)

I get to butcher a cow tomorrow morning. No words for how excited I am.

So we went to church in Paradox yesterday (we go there every 2nd and 4th Sundays, and this month the 5th Sunday too). Well we were sitting in sacrament meeting, and the speakers had just started speaking, when all of a sudden like 12 people walk in. So in a matter of a couple of seconds, the size of the branch DOUBLED. Literally. After church the whole branch got up to meet this family that had come with one of the members (he was just beaming the whole time because they were his neighbors and he had invited them) and we introduced ourselves and all that. Then we gave them each a copy of the Book of Mormon (it was a dad, a girlfriend, and 3 kids that were the dad's, and one that was theirs with one about to pop out of the girlfriend) and invited them to take the lessons and they were all for it and wanted to learn. SO EXCITING. The work in the Paradox CO branch has been so slow, but in a matter of minutes the work just started booming. It's really amazing how the Lord really is preparing people and helping them to come into His fold.

Also yesterday, we had dinner with this older couple we've never had dinner with before. They had their two grand kids (3 and 7) over, which we forgot about, so we had to change our dinner message at the very moment that we were going to share a message. So to entertain the girls, we told them about Enos and prayer, and Sis. May made up this whole thing (kind of like head shoulders knees and toes) to help the little girls how to remember prayer, using Enos 1:2-4. It was awesome. The grandma was SO impressed and was like wow we're going to have to remember that, I bet it took forever to come up with that. We were dying when we got in our car to leave and like "man the Spirit is so great to help us come up with things like that!!" And all during dinner, the grandma was trying to help the youngest granddaughter eat her food. So I started to take her nose and promise I'd give it back when she ate 3 green beans and then I gave it back and she wanted to take my nose, so after she ate a piece of meatloaf I let her take my nose. Man my nose was missing for most of dinner!!

So this week has been a really great one!! We've just been doing a lot of service, and not a lot of our investigators/less actives could/wanted to meet with us last week. So hopefully this week we'll get to meet with them!

Plans for Thanksgiving: walk goats with Steve and Karen; eat Thanksgiving lunch with the Adams family (ha!) and play with their tumbling pigeons; head to the Rock and participate in the 3 day festivities there.

Also, I'm giving a talk on Sunday in La Sal, then speeding over to Paradox to make it for their sacrament to sing.

And transfers are coming up this weekend! So we'll see what happens. Things are going so great, and I'm so grateful to all of you for your prayers and your thoughts and love :)

Have a great week and a happy thanksgiving!!

Your challenge is to seek joy and really find what makes you happy.

And your scripture is Alma 28:8.

I love you! You all rock!
Sister Garcia

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