First week of second cambio

January 23, 2017

Wow my week went by pretty good. Here are some of my highlights:

1. My mission bro (Elder Farnsworth) came to our room and right off the bat started burning Elder Salazar and I was like "bro I like your style!" because before I couldn't get Elder Salazar at all because he uses the bible to get at me. You seriously need to know the bible in our room or you will never win the conversation. 

2. I found out that my favorite drink out here has caffeine in it and I was soo sad. So now I have to go with sprite all the time. :/

3. We had a confirmation yesterday with William. (he wasn't confirmed last week because we had stake conference) and it took him like 10 minutes to figure out who he wanted to confirm him and then he said "the gringo." and I`m like  -_-

4. After church the music chairman (more like woman) came up to Elder Farnsworth and asked him if he could play the piano. After He said no she then turned to me and asked me if I could. I said yes and then she said "Why didn't you tell me before?" And I`m like -_- really? You ask Elder F. right when he gets here and you don`t ask me till the next cambio. 

Well I think that my biggest highlight this week was the meeting with Elder Cook!! Man that guy is sooo great! but I think that the best thing that he told us was about rejection. Recently a few weeks ago in the middle of the night Elder Salazar and I decided to contact a little before we went back to the room but our first door we came up to I knocked at the open window and I started to say "Somos missionaros de la...." and then he just shut the door. I was so shocked and depressed that he just slammed the window in my face that it took Elder Salazar at least 5 minuets to tear my eyes from that window. I have been so scared to contact since then but Elder Cook said that we were going to face rejection throughout our whole mission. And that even though people might not accept us now, they will sometime down the road because this is such a great gospel. And then he blessed us that we may be able to face the rejection and realize that God loves them no matter what. Ever since then I can`t believe how much contacts I have gotten in myself. It`s really a huge confidence booster. I love you all and miss you tons.

Elder Garbett

p.s sorry about having no pictures this week I've been really focusing on the work that I forget about the camera in my bag. :/

End of Cambio

January 16, 2017

Wow I can´t believe that it´s already been six weeks since I left the CCM. My Highlights this week:

1. we found out about transfers and I get to keep Elder Salazar for another cambio :D 

2. Also we found out that one of the elders in our room is going to get another elder that Elder Salazar also trained. so that means i´m gonna have one of my mission brothers in my room

3. Elder Salazar tried to provoke a dog to start barking at us instead of a little cat but he instead got the cat to start following him. It was hilarious because elder Salazar is allergic and he has a phobia of cats. 

Ok so I don´t know if any of you remember the kid who we found last week during church who wasn't baptized but here is his story. So his name is William and he is 9 years old  but he hasn't been baptized yet because his dad isn't worthy. That tends to be the thing out here. Most kids that aren't baptized out here it's because their dad either isn't a member or isn't worthy. So since William was nine he was pretty much ours. 

So Elder Salazar and I worked our butts off to be able to teach him all of the lessons in five days. Well with the help of the Lord (and some Mormon made simple videos) we were able to baptize William this last Saturday. 

I am grateful to be out here and to serve the Lord. I love you all so much,

Elder Garbett

 

William's Baptism

 

 

 Elder Garbett and Elder Marcias (on splits)

 First Zone in the Field

Baptism!!!

January 9, 2017

Man was this week great. Here are some of the great. (and maybe not so great) ;p  :

1. This week Elder Salazar and I planned to cook some pancakes. What we ended up doing was frying some pancakes. It was still super good and I can´t believe we actually did it. 

2. One of my roommates who can barely speak or understand any English has recently been arguing with my companion about the rules. Elder Salazar is our district leader and this other missionary has 20 months in the mission. They have been doing this a lot lately and one night I couldn't take it anymore. All I asked him (in English) was how come I had 2 months in the mission and I knew the rules more than he did. After some weird looks and a bit of translation we have not had an argument in the room since. :D

3. Some of the missionaries in the CCM came to our area the other day and we got to show them some of the ropes and throw them into the deep end. Elder Salazar and I got paired with Elder Brinesby. All we really did was go contacting and find references for our zone leaders but I was really surprised and really glad that this Elder was picking it up so quickly. By the time we had 15 contacts this missionary could do at least half of the contact pretty well. I just really hope that I can be a trainer some time on my mission because I really loved doing that.

3. While I was teaching Rosa about eternal life we had a mini earthquake happen. I was sooo focused on teaching how eternal life means that we would be with God again and then she stopped me and said "eso es poderoso" (that´s powerful). I had no idea that an earth quake was going on so I thought she was talking about the spirit so I was like "heck yah! You can totally tell the spirit is here!" 

     Well this week was great but the Saturday and Sunday of this week was the best. This last weekend was the baptism of our investigator, Rosa. It was sooo amazing and what topped it off was that she wanted me to baptize her. So I had my first baptism this week and I did it in Spanish. Unfortunately her entire body didn't go under the water so I had to do it again. 

     The next day was just as great because when we showed up she was already there and she was actually wearing a white dress. This was a surprise because she usually shows up in jeans and a shirt. What really got to me was that she was wearing the young women´s necklace she received the night before. You would have never guessed that she was just baptized and was going to be confirmed a member that day. And just when we thought that it couldn't get better, we found out that there is a kid in our ward who hasn't been baptized yet who is 9 years old and his parents want us to baptize him! 

      Sometimes I wonder why I keep seeing miracles every day. I am nowhere close to being worthy to see them. Sometimes they are small like someone came to church for the first time, or sometimes they are huge like how this new baptism just dropped into our laps but every single time I think this I remember what my mission president told me when I asked him this question. He told me that since I am here out in the Lord´s work I am entitled to see these miracles. Entonces I know that while I am out here I can learn Spanish, I know I can deal with my roommates, and I can put up with the members when they cancel on us just because they don´t want to come with us and we have to drop a bunch of lessons that day, and I especially know that I can put up with those stupid cold showers!! Just little by little the Lord will help me and shape me into a sharp staff in his quiver. 

I love you all and miss you tons,

Elder Garbett

 Rosa's Baptism 

 Lima, Peru Temple

Pancakes!!

 Peruvian Beauty

First Week of 2017

January 2, 2017

Hey Ya'll. This last week went really good. Here are the highlights:

1. For New years we had something called mariscos(?) which is a seafood dish with an actual crab and parts of squid in some rice. Super delicious and weird.

2. We went on splits and I got to spend a night with my past companion in the CCM which was absolutely amazing.

3. I woke up on New Years Eve to a bunch of fireworks. They were seriously going off like crazy.

4. I found a maggot in my soup. Yummy!

5. Today Elder Salazar and I went to a supermarket and we bought some meat for hamburgers and we fried them up for lunch. They were super delicious. I can´t believe all of the stuff I can make out here.

In Second Peter (I'm not sure which chapter or verse exactly) it says that if someone is taken from the world and comes to know Christ but eventually goes back to what they were doing before, it would have been better for them to have never known Christ. Ever since I have read this scripture, I made a commitment that I am never going to baptize someone who I don´t think is absolutely ready to be baptized because I don´t want to pretty much condemn them to an awful state of unhappiness. 

 

Well we have an investigator who we have been teaching ever since I came into the field. Her name is Rosa and she is pretty receptive to the gospel. She even marks in her Book of Mormon but I have been skeptical about baptizing her because she has pretty much looked the same ever since I met her. Now for those who aren't members of the church you might be confused about what I am talking about. When someone truly has repented and wants to be baptized there is a change of heart or sometimes a change of countenance. You can tell in the eyes of people that they have truly changed. Well Rosa hadn´t had this change yet. 

 

Before we went on splits, Elder Salazar and I kinda talked about this. He said that he knew she was ready. I on the Other hand thought that she was missing something. But that night Elder Salazar was going to interview her to be baptized so we were going to see if she was ready. Well after the splits were over and I was with Elder Salazar again he told me that they interviewed her. Apparently she has done some things that I will not mention but now she needs to be interviewed by Presidente Boswell. But as Rosa was telling what she had done she was crying. Elder Salazar told me that he was surprised about what she had done and was surprised that I thought there was something missing. During that day we went and visited Rosa and let me tell you she changed a lot. She was just shining! She was Happy and her eyes shone so much. I can tell you that I am super excited to baptize her this Saturday. I know that she is ready to make this covenant with God. 

 

I know that this gospel is true and I know that it can make people want to change their lives. Because God loves us and wants us to return to him again he sent us this gospel and Jesus Christ to atone for our sins. I love you all and Love hearing from you every week.

 

Keep Smiling,

Elder Garbett

 Splits with Elder Olivera

Crab and squid dinner. Yum! 

 

Feliz Navidad!!

December 26, 2016

 Well this week was pretty interesting. Here are some of my highlights:

1. I got to skype home which was pretty amazing. 

2. I got to act like Moses and I took a broom that we had in our room and smacked the water faucet that stopped working and immediately water started to gush out. 

3. I make a bomb of an omelet out here with eggs, cheese, hot dogs, and onions. 

4. We ate dinner at a members home this week and after I finished my plate the Hermana would ask me if I wanted more. So to be polite I said yes each time. I ended up eating like 9 things of meat, 2 potatoes, and a thing of corn. I can´t believe I didn't throw up on the way home that night. 

5. For Christmas here Peruvians stay up until 12 at night on the 24th and send up fireworks all night, open presents and eat a lot. We got up at 11:50 to watch the fireworks, open our presents and tried to go back to sleep. I think there was a reason why we only had one hour for church the next day. 

All in all this week was pretty good. I started to read out of the bible because apparently there are some people who will come up to you and start asking you questions from the bible and try to catch you in your words as the pharisees did with Jesus. I hadn't had that yet but I figured that I need to be prepared just in case. I have found that the bible is just as true as the Book of Mormon. I mean yeah I knew that the bible was the word of God but it wasn't as important to me as was the B.O.M. Just like President Thomas S. Monson said, the bible is enhanced when we ADD the Book of Mormon and it´s teachings to the bible. 

I miss you guys and I hope that you all had a Merry Christmas. 

From your elder in Lima East,

Elder Garbett

Rowan Claus

Service!!

Christmas Dinner

Elder Salazar (companion and trainer)

Members dog

Omelet!