18 DAYS

Hey family,

Wow so it was a crazy week.  So my comp actually didn´t have dengue which was good, he just had a really bad virus but by Wednesday we were working strong.   We had a wedding...my first on the mission!  A baptism the next day and then sunday....we went looking for people to go to church.  The first 5 people that we stopped by didn´t want to go or weren´t home.  So we were starting to get a little down and then at the last moment things started to work out.  We ended up having 16 people in church!  I´ve never had more than 5 so that was a huge blessing.  We are excited about what could happen this next 2 weeks.  We are going to try and do some big stuff here.  But we will see what God has in store for us.  But its cool to see the results come from the work.  We just have to keep going strong and finding the people that want something.  Then it will be easy.

Man that is crazy that everyone is getting married here in the ward.  Well I guess that is a good thing.  Means that the Prophets advice is being used.  Haha.  Also makes me feel old.  But oh well.

The mission been a crazy experience for me.  Actually it doesn´t feel like it will end in 2 weeks.  Because nothing changes here.  Its the same work everyday.  But i´ve changed I know that...that has also made the end of the mission scary.  Will it be the same back home....will people accept me how I am now?  But its also a good thing.  I have grown a lot in my testimony about the gospel.  Also i´ve seen where i´m weak in the gospel.  All of these things have been brought into a bigger light.  I see why we need the gospel here on the earth.  The gospel doesn´t need us...we need it to return to the presence of God.  It is the only way.  We can´t do it alone or without the saving ordenances that are so needed for our progression here on the earth.  Testifying about the truth of the Book of Mormon has come to show me how true it is.  Really all we do it enter and tell people that hey we have this awesome test you can do.  Read a part in this book, think about it, and then ask God if it´s true!  Its so simple and its sad when people wont even do that.  The simple things confound the learned or prideful.  I know that its true because everytime one of our investigators askes God if the Book of Mormon is true I feel it in my heart as well that it is true.  Its an undeniable peace and warmth.  Its all true....the people just aren´t.  And if we can overlook that part we have a chance a big chance to getting what we all want...to live with God again!  I know the church is true and that it helps us.  That God has a plan for us all and that all we have to do is trust in that plan.  We are here to have joy!  The gospel is joy. In the name of Jesus Christ amen

Well I love you all....Garrett

THREE WEEKS!!!

Hey family,
Wow another week went by.  This was a pretty good week.  Started really well.  We had a lot of success and were finding a lot of people.  The only bad thing is the end of the week we didn´t have that many people in church.  But its still all good.  We should have a few baptisms this week and at least one until the end of the mission.  At least that is our goal.   Things are a lot better here...i´m happier.  It isn´t always easy.  My companion and I don´t always agree but we are able to talk and get things done so its a working relationship.  The only problem is he got dengue.  Its a sickness that you get from masquitos.  Its really bad and knocks you down.  He still wants to work so it shouldn´t hold us back too much.  But we will see. 
So a crazy thing happened.  There used to be sister missionaries as well here but they are being transfered out.  So everyone in their group we will have including the baptisms.  So that will be cool.  We will just add to our group and in the end we should baptise a lot.  If everything works out then we will be super busy. 
So they had a talent show here.  And there were like 3 skits that little girls did belly dancing stuff.  I was like this is so inappropriate.  I felt like an old person watching it though because I just felt so uncomfortable.  I`m like this is a church activity and this shouldn´t be happening.  But the last skit was so good.  It was a Michael Jackson skit.  The kids that did it could dance so well and they dressed up really cool.  It was awesome.  So in the end it turned out well.
Well I hope that its a great week for you all. 
Love you all,
Garrett

FOUR WEEKS!!

Hey family!

Well things have changed.....it didn´t work out.  I was emergency transfered to a new area.  It got to the point that he was like I don´t want to be here and i´m not going to help with any decision making.  So I was like well then lets talk to President.  We did and I ended up leaving.  Oh well its better.  I like my new area.  The ward is so much better.  There are members that help and we have lunch everyday!  I´m so happy about that.  It was rough not having lunch all the time.  I´ll be able to gain some weight again.  I´m getting unhealthy.  My new comp is also happy with the new change.  He was like you can actually teach me something.  I´ll do my best to help him out.  He is a complete nerd...its all good though.  He likes to talk all the time so thats better than never talking I guess.  But the ward is awesome so thats all that matters.  We were able to get some good numbers in just 3 days that i´ve been here.   Oh so i´m in Itabuna Fátima ward.  Its close to my other area.  It is just another city.  Its a lot hotter here.  So I guess thats a good thing.  I´ll be used to the heat again. 

Well thats cool that the fence is almost done.  It will be a lot different having a fence in the back now.  I´m excited about that.  Jury duty.  That´s never fun.  Hopefully it is a fast case.  I forgot about those types of situations.  I´m going to go into shock coming home.  I`m almost certain of it.  I`m so used to strange things.  Flavela and 3rd world living standards.  It will be so messed up to go back to American standards.  Hopefully its an easy transfer....haha. 

Well i´m doing well here.  And 4 weeks and i´ll be home. That seems unreal and doesn´t seem like it will really happen but i´m excited to see everyone again!
Love and miss you all,

FIVE WEEKS

Hey Family,

Well it was a up and down week.  A lot has happened.  It wasn´t all that great as companionship unity goes.  We had problems all week but yesterday I was able to talk to one of my good friends here on the mission who is the Presidents Assistant.  He talked a lot about what you talked about Mom.  President is inspired and there must be a reason that i´m together with him.  Also he was like I don´t want you to end your mission and be like I could have done more so when it gets hard just remember that.  It will help you endure to the end.´  Its true.  So i´ll just have to suck it up and find a way to make it work.  Somehow we have to be able to get along.  We just have to find what ´that´ is.  

Other than the companion situation a few other things happened this week.  I got sick.  I had a fever and felt week for like 3 days.  I´m pretty much better now.  My companion got even sicker than me though.  He ate some street food.  Not a very good idea most of the time.  He´s been pucking and on the toilet for the last 3 days.  But he´s a little bit better now.  We aer still trying to find a group.  We are having problems finding news of quality.  Hopefully this week we will have more success finding becuase it makes the work even harder when all you do is look and don´t have people progressing.  Time goes a lot slower as well.  But I´ve got hope that things will change.  

The weather here is normal for this time of year.  They are saying that it could get colder.  The problem is that i´m just used to the hot.  I used to only be used to cold so everything felt hot.  But in Salvador its still hot its just in the interior that it gets cool.

  Well I love and miss you all.  

love,

Garrett

SIX WEEKS!

Hey family!
Wow so i don´t know where to start.  I think i´ll just start with the good the releif that I received to know that i´ve got a job!  That is nice.  The bad part.  My new companion.  He got here and just wasn´t showing desire.  He doesn´t talk to the members almost at all or to anyone for the matter.  Turns out he had problems with his knee and was in rehab for the last 2 months and President gave him the choice try and stay or go home.  He is still on the doubt about it.  I lost my cool a little and said some stuff I shouldn´t have.  I don´t know if I´ve got it in me to help another missionary out....it seems like thats all I´ve gotten on the mission.  But i´m giong to try harder.  I want to end the mission well...i was just hoping to stay with my other comp because he wanted to stay and had desire.  I guess we don´t always get what we want.  It helps us grow.  Thats all the mission is...growth.  I guess I needed more that other people. 
But I do agree with what you said about leave the past in the past with my old comp.  We are actually on good terms.  He talked really well about our work together. He was like we baptised everyone that you and I found together.  His comp was a huge slacker.  I´m happy that they baptised the group the we left there, I just wish that I could have seen it happen as well. 
Today we played soccer.  It was fun....i played a lot better today so that was a plus.  Its always the worst when you suck it up.  I´m super sore though.  I´m so out of shape.  I´m trying to do what I can to get kind of back into it.  Jump roping and such.  Its better than nothing. 
Happy Birthday Dad!  You´re only as old as you feel.  When I show my pictures to people they are like your parents are so young!  So that should make you feel good.  Especially since everyone here has 3 kids by the age of 17.  So you are really young.
It has been super cold here these last few nights.  I´m almost dying.  I have to sleep with socks on at night!  I´ve never done that in my life.
Oh so yesterday of all days...we help a member moves some stuff.  Well because we are in Brasil no one has a car so we walked stuff from one house to another.  It was horrible.  It sucks to move in the first place and worse when you walk a half a mile to the other house with a couch or stuff.  Oh well...its the last time I do anything like that.
Well I love and miss you all.  But these last few weeks should go by pretty fast.

Love,
Garrett