January 30, 2012

Dear Everyone,

So P-Day (this is preparation day when missionaries can write home, clean their living quarters, run errands, etc.) in Pehuajó. What is cool about being in a tiny little city is that we are free to go anywhere we want in the whole city. Because the whole city is our area! A lot of areas in Mar del Plata or Bahìa Blanca are solid areas of neighborhoods. Some of those areas don't even have grocery stores. Whereas here in Pehuajó, we can go to downtown and go to all the stores and everything. The only problem is that Pehuajó has basically nothing! It's actually really boring. Today, we did our regular studies, and the moment 10 o`clock hit, hopped back in bed.

As for my meetings with other missionaries, I have District Meeting every week and we take a one hour bus ride to Trenque Lauquen every Monday night to be there for the meeting Tuesday morning. Then we return in the afternoon. Zone Conferences are every two transfers and President always travels in with the Assistants. It lasts all day. Every other transfer, in the middle, we have interviews with President so he can see how we're doing. So I see President Detlefsen every six weeks.

This week was great. Rosa was baptized on Saturday and yesterday, there were 24 people in church (including her husband for the very first time ever) when she was confirmed a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and received the gift of the Hold Ghost by the laying on of hands (like in Acts 19 in the Bible). We also found two other investigators this week that actually made it to church. We went by to pick them up in a car with the Brustle Family and it was super funny because after picking up the first lady, Nelida, we pulled up the second and turns out it was Nelida`s granddaughter, Marìa! On top of that, Marìa's husband is the grandson of a lady that got baptized the week before we came to Pehuajò named Secundina. So they were all there together! It is incredible how Heavenly Father works.

Recently I have been studying in Preach My Gospel about the attributes of Christ and trying my best to ask the Lord in prayer for His help in developing them in my personal life. I have learned a lot recently about faith, hope, and love here in Pehuajò as well as how patience goes hand in hand with them. A good chapter to read in the Book of Mormon that talks a lot about that is Ether 12.

Also, we had interviews Saturday afternoon and President Detlefsen helped me understand the need I have as a missionary to set the example of service for the investigator so they can see that God loves them and that He often shows His love through the service of others. He explained that that helps my understanding of love and charity grow.

Thank you for the prayers and the encouragement! Pray for Humberto Maffioli, Nelida Bolaño, and Marìa de los Angeles so they can keep progressing and get baptized in the church of Christ! I love you all!

-Elder Ryan Garrison