September 24, 2012

Dear Everyone,

This week was good! Like I said, Mònica Gutierrez and Mariano Romero got baptized. They were super happy. We had a big Family Home Evening on Monday with the Gutierrez family and the ward mission leader and his wife. Elder Howard and I taught them about the importance of daily prayers individually and as a family, the importance of reading the scriptures daily as well, and the need to keep the Sabbath day holy by going to church. Then they gave us a ton of pizza and soda to take home. Awesome. On Wednesday we went to teach the restoration to Marcos and Marìa again and it went super well. We did an activity to show them how the Great Apostasy happened and then they gave us two cakes to take home. Awesome.

Mariano has gotten super involved in the church too. He goes to the Young Single Adults activities and Stake choir too. He loves it. Yesterday, the bishop has his first interview with him and Mariano asked him if I could confer the Aaronic Priesthood upon him. So for the first time ever, I conferred the Priesthood upon someone. He is now a priest and will be able to serve, prepare, and bless the sacrament as well as baptize! He is on fire.

However, seeing as Elder Howard and I had no more investigators after baptizing them, we got to work this week and found a ton of people this week! The area is very small, half of it is downtown, and the Zone Leaders have been in it for years so basically no one lets us in. So I remembered what Elder Araya and I had done in Bahìa Blanca: offer free copies of the Book of Mormon at people's doorsteps. No one says no to free. We did that and tons of people let us in this week!

We found this one guy named Sergio Ramirez who basically has the Bible memorized. Good thing Elder Arias got me studying it though because we were able to take all the knowledge this man has and help him realize that the church is true. Also, he is a member of the Pentecostal church. Like the Llaupi family from Viedma. So I knew exactly what doctrines he had confused.

However, he didn't make it on Sunday!! He wasn't home before church when we dropped by so we left in the middle of church to go by his house again and this time found him. He said, "I can't go because I have to go NOW but I have to talk to you guys about your church. Today." So we met up at 6 in the church and HE asked US when he is getting baptized after we taught him the plan of salvation. He already knew it without having the restored gospel!! Most people think: Earth life, death, Heaven or Hell and that's it. But this guy knew what he was talking about.

So please pray for him!! He needs it. And will be an incredible member once baptized. And pray that Elder Howard and I can find more people waiting for the gospel. Like families.

Thank you for writing!!

Elder Garrison

PS - Carly I wrote you but today I got the letter back with a "Return to Sender" sticker. Cool.