"To Love Another Person is to See the Face of God"

Last night, I had a bit of a hard time sleeping, and for some reason I started thinking about Les Mis. I really don't know why. But as my mind ran through the lyrics, this line from the finale stood out to me:  "To love another person is to see the face of God."  

In church on Sunday, I was asked to bear a short testimony since it would be my last Sunday in the branch, and I felt impressed to share the story in John 21:15-17 ... "So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs.  "He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep.  "He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep."  The Gospel of Jesus Christ is love. It is looking beyond yourself to something greater and far more important than the day to day - to eternal salvation. And our own eternal salvation is found as we focus on others. 

 For the past eighteen months, I have been privileged to devote my time to serving my fellow men and to serving God. I have seen people at their worst and their best. I have celebrated with them, mourned with them, and helped them through the day to day. They've helped me through the day to day as well. I have seen the Lord put me in people's lives - and put others in mine - at exactly the moment when they were ready to give up. I have felt sorrow as they have decided to turn another way, and rejoicing as they've accepted the love of our Father in Heaven and allowed it to change their lives. I have felt my own love for those around me expand to measures that I hadn't imagined were possible.   And as I have loved these people, I have seen the face of God. I have seen His hand in their lives and in mine. And I have felt His love for me more than ever before. 

 This isn't an experience that only missionaries can have. The commandment that Christ gave to Peter remains in force for each and every one of us. If we truly love Christ, we will serve Him by serving others (Mosiah 2:17). And as we do so, we will find that we love Christ even more than before, and that we are loved by Him in ways that we cannot fathom.  I want to continue being a tool in the Lord's hands for the rest of my life on earth and in the life to come. There are so many around us who are in pain and searching for the truth. Let us not leave them groping in the darkness, but be a light to lead them home - whether or not we wear a badge.  

Love,

Hermana Garner

service project

A Bit of a Tough Week

We've been struggling a bit this week. We haven't been finding anyone to teach, and the people we have been teaching have either plateaued or dropped off the face of the earth.   One investigator really seemed to be having a breakthrough in his personal understanding of the gospel. But on Saturday, he sent us a text asking to meet up in the morning for just 5 minutes. With him, just 5 minutes isn't possible, so we were a bit worried that he wanted to keep it short. We met him at the church, and he told us he was going back to Mexico to help his family with a transition - and he didn't know when he'd be back.   We were disappointed, but said we'd see him when he got back and we'd keep in touch. He doesn't have Facebook or Whatsapp or any communication really other than text, and he said his phone doesn't work in Mexico. So at this point, we're praying for missionaries to find him wherever he is and that he'll keep building the desire on his own and not forget what he's experienced here. He was so sweet, though, he gave us a card saying thank you for everything and a $50 gift card to Applebees.

  Saturday night, we went to another investigator's house and helped them in the yard, and afterwards played the Gospel Game of Life - we took the game of life and made our own cards for it with choices related to the gospel. It was actually super fun! The point of it was to help see how the decisions we making now can move us forward or hold us back. Life really is so much easier when we follow Heavenly Father's plan for us! 

 On the bright side, I found out that someone who was baptized is going back to church!!! I'm so happy!! 

It's weird to imagine not being a missionary. I'm not sure I'll know what to do with myself. Everyone keeps bringing up how little I have left and I kind of just want to forget about it haha. But as bittersweet as it is, I am looking forward to the next chapter. And it's amazing that I'll get to still be easily in contact with those I've come to know and love here in Gilbert!

Love,
Hermana Garner

An Incredible Week and a half of Missionary Work!

So much has happened since last p day that I don't even know where to start! But the blessings and miracles of the Lord never cease to amaze me, and I have so, so much joy in serving the Lord! 

We have a fairly new investigator that we've started getting in with, and he's incredible.  I see in him a true desire to find the truth. He has real intent, and though he's incredibly busy with work, he's making time for us and doing all he can to keep his commitments. Yesterday we had a lesson with him, at the time that he set up, and learned that it was right in between his two jobs. He had worked all night, slept about two hours, and then met with us at 10:30 when he had to work again at 11:30. I was shocked when he told us that. He's truly willing to make sacrifices to find the truth. 

  We've seen a lot of progress with another investigator this week. He's opened up to us in incredible ways, and he came to church this past Sunday with his son! We talked about baptism, and he's praying about getting baptized on March 3rd! He seems pretty iffy about it, but he's getting closer and closer and starting to recognize the blessings of the gospel in his life. I also just love him and his kids so much -  his son, picked out a giant jar of Red Vines when they were at the store, and gave it to us when we showed up for our lesson that day. It was so sweet! 

 I've felt so much love from the Lord and the people in this area this week! We went by a potential from back when I was serving with Hna Cedeño, the Ruelas family - the one with the kid who gave me a rock from his collection when I was sick. They remembered me and let us in, they were very friendly. As we left, I complimented the nativity that they had sitting on their end table - and they picked it up and GAVE it to me! I tried to tell them no, but the mom said, "Take it - So you can always remember the Ruelas family." It touched my heart so much. 

I felt great love from the Erazos this week. The Erazos are one of the families in the branch, and I've

become very close to them. Hna Erazo is the one who taught me to make pupusas, and she's been such a support to me. When I went home, she got my number from Hna Cedeño and texted me to check in the whole time I was home.  Well, this weekend we had dinner at their house. She made pupusas because she knows how much I love them. We enjoyed just talking, all of us together, and then Brother Erazo (not her husband, her brother) went inside to get the dessert. He came back out with a cake, and set it in front of me. On it was written, "Thank you for your service Sister Garner." I burst into tears.   It's hitting me more and more that this is coming to an end. And as excited as I am for the next phase of my life, it's incredibly bitter sweet. There's nothing better than being a missionary and being completely devoted to serving your brothers and sisters. You feel so much love for the people around them and can see their divine potential even when they can't. I want to continue to foster that as much as I can for the rest of my life.

Love,
Hermana Garner

The Lord Leads and Guides Us!

First things first - p-day won't be on Monday next week (I know Mom, I'm sorry!! I was looking forward to emailing on your birthday!) It will instead be on Wednesday, Valentine's day. I don't know exactly why, but that's what they're doing.  ​

Celebrating Sister Barlow's birthday, which is this Wednesday (hence why she's wearing a crown)

We had a really incredible lesson last Monday night. It was with an investigator I'd never met. We decided to teach the third lesson, which is the Gospel of Jesus Christ - Faith, Repentance, Baptism, The Gift of the Holy Ghost, and Enduring to the End. She was on board the entire time, and very much wants to learn. As the lesson came to a close, I felt really strongly that we needed to put her on date for February 24th. We hadn't talked about that at all, but then Sister Hanson extended the invitation for the exact same date I was thinking about, and when we left told me she'd felt that the moment we walked in for the lesson. It's amazing how the Spirit lets us know what's right and the witness of knowing this is the Lord's work when we're completely on the same page.  

We had a number of experiences like that throughout the week, including another great lesson with a potential who turned into an investigator.  We taught the restoration, and he was engaged and attentive the whole time and said he wanted to come to church.  He said that if he knew it was true he would be baptized, but we didn't bring up a date or anything yet.  

I've been running into quite a lot of people that I worked with in this area before, who had since fallen off the map but are not coming back out of the woodwork. It's interesting. One of them is is someone  who Hna Cedeno and I were helping prepare for a mission. Well, he had completely stopped coming to church and said that he wasn't ever interested in coming again. But we had an incredibly spiritual lesson with him and his mother on Saturday night. In the middle of the lesson, I just felt overwhelmed by the spirit and looked at him and said, "God loves you." I could tell it touched him, and the feeling was so strong in that room. The next day, he came to church!! And he set up an appointment for this Wednesday. He says he still has some questions for us but he admitted that he feels something different when he's at church.  

Everyone keeps asking me if I'm trunky. I keep wanting to say, "Well, if you'd stop bringing it up, I wouldn't be!" But generally, when I'm working, I'm not. There are just sad moments when I realize how little time I have left.   

​Favorite quotes from Sister Hanson this week: "Did the bank try to get robbed?" and, when we saw a helicopter and she was joking about flying it, she said, "Who needs a license when you have video games?"​

People had mentioned the Super Bowl this week, but Sister Hanson and I both completely forgot and planned to go knock doors RIGHT in the middle of it ... We walked up to the first door and froze as we heard the announcer and just looked at each other. We quickly changed our plans haha. We knocked a couple doors, but people weren't exactly happy with us lol.  It's not as bad as Sisters Showalter and Shaffer, though - they interrupted a wedding this week!! The door opened and they were having a wedding in the kitchen of the house and everyone just stared at them. AWKWARD!

Love,

Hermana Garner

Last Zone Conference

It was really strange that my last zone conference was this past week. I sang "I Will Not Be Still" as a special musical number, intending to leave that as my testimony rather than bearing a departing testimony with the rest of the missionaries going home with me. In the end, I caved and bore a quick testimony as well, figuring I'd regret it if I didn't. It was emotional, thinking about how much joy I've found being out here. As excited as I am to move on to the next chapter in my life, I'm also sad to leave this one behind.  

 But the good news is I still get a whole month! And there's a LOT of work going on in this area. We've been finding a lot of people in miraculous ways, just pray that we can get BACK in with them, because that's often what happens - we find them, and then never see them again.   

We had a lesson with the woman who accidentally made appointments with us and the other missionaries at the same time! It went well, she was open to listening, but she asked some questions that make us think she was given anti material. At least she's still willing to meet with us and not just take someone else's word for It! 

 A couple days last week were rough - I ended up catching the flu and couldn't keep anything down for 2 days. It was miserable, I didn't want to work or do anything at all. We had exchanges the second day I was sick and Hna Shaffer got me to go out for most of the day. It was hard, but we did see miracles, which goes to show that the Lord rewards our efforts. But yeah, not fun, I had the fever, aches, chills, vomiting, everything.   

We're headed to lunch right now with an investigator! He's seriously awesome, and so sweet - he thought he wouldn't be allowed to stay and eat with us because of the rules about being with the opposite gender, but he wanted to come pay for us and then just leave. He also refused to let us choose a fast food place. 

Love,

Hermana Garner

This is a bench on the Gilbert strip.  We went street contacting on the Gilbert strip Saturday night. My social anxiety was through the roof, it was so awkward and so much worse than just knocking doors haha.

Back in the Branch

Oh my goodness, I'm SO happy to be in the branch! I love the ward and miss members there but I missed the branch too! I was able to surprise a number of members as we showed up for dinner and at church, and it was wonderful to see how happy they were to see me! I was happy to see them, too! It's been a really fun week, and it's also been full of miracles!

 The area is very different from when I was last in it over a year ago. They've found so many new people and it's been exciting to see the growth that's happened and get to know them a bit. We've also found some people just in the past few days and it's just been so much fun! 

 I'll start with ​a miracle, then a tender mercy​ , and then move on to perhaps the most hilarious moment of my mission.  ​Miracle: We went to visit a former investigator on Friday night  (I'm actually the one who found her when I first got to the mission field). As we were walking up to her door, we passed a mother and her two daughters. We said hi, but were late for our appointment so we moved on. Turns out, they were walking to the same door - they're friends of hers, and they had come over at the same time for a visit. Well, we didn't want to take time to do a whole lesson, but we shared a spiritual thought - and, the mother, was incredibly interested.​ She took a Book of Mormon, gave us her number and address, and set up an appointment for us to come by Sunday night.  But the miracle didn't stop there - not thirty minutes later, we got a set of texts from her saying how God had put us in her path and that she needed Him in her life now more than ever. Then, before we even had the chance to respond to the texts, she called us - we hadn't even given her our number, but she had asked her friend for it and contacted us of her own accord. So the same night that we met her and shared that thought, we went to her house and got to know her better, and shared a little about the restoration. She prayed that the Lord would lead her down the path He wants all of His children to be on and thanked Him for sending us. Sister Hanson made a comment later quoting Preach My Gospel about how we're told to go to people who will recognize us as servants of the Lord - she is definitely one of those people, and it was humbling to meet her. She has a major surgery this week, so keep her in your prayers! 

 ​Tender Mercy: there is an investigator that the sisters have been teaching for a few months, and I got to meet him for the first time Saturday night. He's incredible - we got there and he pulled out his Book of Mormon, which was all marked up and highlighted, as well as a notebook where he'd been taking notes and recording his thoughts and impressions. I've never seen an investigator so eager and dedicated to learn! In our lesson we had a major breakthrough with his understanding of what faith is, and he came to the New Member Fireside last night and we saw a step forward there as well from everything Hna Hanson has told me.  But the tender mercy was much more personal to me than any of that. In the course of our lesson on Saturday, I learned that he had been to the Christmas concert last month, and that the spirit that he felt there motivated him to continue learning and taking the things the missionaries were teaching him seriously. He said he'd felt "Magic." It was such a tender mercy for me to know that the concert had not only touched people, but that it had served its purpose of helping bring people closer to Christ - at least for one person. I felt so much love from my Father in Heaven at that moment and feel so privileged to have been a tool in His hands. 

 Hilarious Moment:​ This might have been my favorite moment of the week. We met a potential investigator and made an appointment to go back to her house Thursday morning at 10:30. We drove up, parked the car, said the prayer, and got out - only to find that two other women had walked up to the door and were waiting for her to answer. They stared at us as we approached, and we introduced ourselves - and learned that they were missionaries from another church.  We stood there a little awkwardly until the investigator opened the door, surprised to see all four of us there. She looked to the other missionaries and said, "Didn't we say Tuesday?"   As awkward as it was, Hna Hanson and I just thought it was hilarious - but the other women did not. They looked to her and said, "You made an appointment with them as well?" When she confirmed, one of them said, "Well, we believe in the Bible."  "So do they," she immediately retorted with a smile.  The woman who spoke seemed flustered. Hermana Hanson and I just stood there smiling. The investigator invited to have all of us come in, but we politely said we thought it would be better if we came back another day. Then she said, "Well, we can all say a prayer together!"  It really did seem like the least awkward thing to do in that moment - and yet the other missionaries immediately looked uncomfortable. One of them muttered, "We're not accustomed to praying outside ..." but when the investigator came out onto the doorstep they apparently decided to go with it. She held out her hands so we could all hold hands, but the other missionaries refused and just shook their heads at her until she put them down.  One of the other women offered to say the prayer, and she prayed for a blessing on the investigator and that she could learn the truth. But as she finished, the investigator immediately picked up the prayer where she'd left off and said, "And bless Hermanas Garner and Hanson as well, because they are also Your servants and prophets carrying Your word to the people. Bless them with safety and success. Amen."  Sister Hanson and I were both touched, and we gave her a hug before turning to leave. The other missionaries seemed very upset, but in all honesty Sister Hanson and I just couldn't stop laughing once we were in the car driving away. Throughout the day we'd just remember it and start laughing all over again. It was a great moment, and what made it even better was the way the investigator defended us.

Love,

Hermana Garner

The Test

Today marks the start of my last transfer ... and I'm getting transferred

This was one of the hardest weeks of my mission. Physically, emotionally, and mentally it was exhausting and more than once I found myself at the breaking point. But whenever I started to get really down, the Lord would always send me a tender mercy and comfort - just enough to keep me going.  

One of those tender moments was Saturday night. I was feeling extremely discouraged. I had been sick from my IC and a possible infection all week and was struggling with the motivation to push through it, particularly because one of my recent converts had been saying that she wanted to go back to her old church. I was laying on my bed during dinner hour feeling incredibly down and listening to music on my phone, when I heard the voice of my angel mother come out of the speakers. I listened as the words of the song rang through the air and penetrated my aching heart:  "Didn't He say He sent us to be tested? Didn't He say the way would not be sure? But didn't He say we would live with Him forevermore, Well and whole, If we but patiently endure? After the trial, we will be blessed! But this life is the test."  It brought me to tears as I lay there reflecting on those words, on the love I could feel from my Heavenly Father and the love I could feel from my earthly parents as I thought of how much they've done for me and continue to do for me. It was particularly tender to hear my mother's voice and be reminded of her strong testimony which has helped me to make it to where I am today, and has always strengthened me.  The Lord is truly mindful of us. 

 I also saw this principle in an experience that same night as we were out working - we had planned to go by a few potentials, but for some reason or another I felt like we needed to go by a member, but none of the members in the area were sticking out to me. We said a prayer, and as I was praying I had one of the English members we'd met in the area come to mind. I disregarded the thought (I love her as a person and thought I must just have wanted an excuse to see her) because she's strong in the gospel, she has her own son on a mission, and she's not even our stewardship since she's in an English ward. However, when I opened my eyes, I immediately saw her name on my phone - in the exact moment that I had finished praying, she had sent us a text asking for prayers on her behalf. We went by to visit her, and it was so clear how much the Lord knew she'd needed a visit that night, and how mindful He was of that and used us as His servants to fulfill that need, regardless of our assignment. We were available, so He used us.  

Though I've been in this area for a long time and am looking forward to a change my last transfer, I am also growing increasingly sad to say goodbye to all the people I've been working with since July. And we did see progress - two investigators came to church again and we had an incredibly spiritual lesson with them, we got back in with another investigator and were able to discern what he really needs with much more clarity, and one of our less active families came to church all together for the first time! With as hard as the week was, it was also full of miracles, and I pray and hope that I will be able to keep in contact with these people and continue to help and love and support them though it will be from more of a distance. 

Love,

Hermana Garner

Going from Being Discouraged to Seeing Miracles

On p-day last week, I was feeling a little discouraged - I felt like I'd done all I could do  and out of ideas. But the Lord lifted my spirits that night in a miraculous way.  We got a call from a set of English sisters saying that one of their members had set up a lesson with a young woman from Ecuador for that night. That was all we knew when we showed up (with the English sisters, since we weren't sure what language she'd want to be taught in). Turns out this girl, had called her friend that afternoon at 3 ... And told her she wanted to be BAPTIZED.  She's never come to church. Never read the Book of Mormon. Never met with missionaries. In fact, she told us that she'd turned away the elders in her area over and over again. But she shared how she'd slowly come to feel the spirit tell her this was the path the Lord wanted for her, how she'd already talked to her mom and gotten permission, and how she was prepared to do whatever it took to accomplish that goal.  The spirit was incredibly strong, and the English sisters put her on date for the 27th. She was ecstatic. She kept telling us she had chills and just knew this was right.  We won't be the ones teaching her, but I needed that experience that night. I've never seen someone so prepared, and it was inspiring. Not only that, but as she expressed how sorry she was for turning away so many missionaries before, I thought of how many people I talk to each day and how what they say about planting seeds is really true - and I got to see the fruits of that.

 And the miracles of the week didn't stop there. We made a goal to find 5 new investigators, but when Friday rolled around we'd only found 1. Elder Welch, our district leader, promised us that if we focused on our goals we'd find a new investigator that day ... And we didn't. But we had faith that the next day that promise would be realized.  The second door we knocked on Saturday was a man who immediately came out and talked to us, and told us how he hadn't found a church that felt right, that he was frustrated by the corruption of men. We read the end of the introduction to the Book of Mormon with him, and the spirit was so strong. Afterwards, he was quiet for a minute and said, "If you don't mind me asking, where did your religion come from?"  We taught him about Joseph Smith and the restoration. The spirit was overwhelming, and he immediately said he'd read and pray about the Book of Mormon. We made a return appointment, and left his porch beaming from ear to ear. It was amazing to see that promise from our district leader realized as we really strove to focus on our goals and be the best missionaries we could be.

 Another fruit of our labors we were able to see was Rossy and Kimmy's baptism. I've never taught

them personally, but all the other sisters have. 5 years ago, their aunt joined the church, and she's slowly been followed by the majority of her family members - They're the ones who I got to see sealed back in July. Well, the other sisters have been teaching these two girls and their mother for months now, and the girls finally decided to get baptized. Their parents are incredibly supportive and come to church each week, it was tender to see the excitement in that room, the majority of the ward was there because these girls have already been a part of the ward family, and it was very emotional.

 Perhaps the biggest miracle of the week happened yesterday. With the new year, our ward now starts at 2, which gives us the entire morning to go around and invite people to church. Well, yesterday we went to a part member family's house, who we've been trying to get to church forever - since before I was in the area. The mother is really nervous to go back to church, but the two daughters wanted to go, and she let us find them a ride last minute so they could come. When Sister Showalter saw them there, she flipped out! It was such an incredible miracle, and we went around and introduced them to people in the ward. At the end of the meetings we asked them what they thought, and they both LOVED it!!  One of the best parts of the miracle was that right after church another one of the young women called us asking for the daughter's number so she could invite her to an activity! Fellowship is SO essential, and it was amazing to see things falling into place!

 So this week I went from being discouraged and tired to being shown that the Lord truly does work miracles, and even people who haven't shown progress in the past can begin to progress with continuing work and support.

 Another cool thing - we started temple prep classes for recent converts and people who have just been reactivated. Missionary work doesn't end after baptism - people need continuing support to endure to the end and receive the ordinances of salvation. It's humbling to be the smallest part of helping them get there.

Love,
Hermana Garner

Happy New Year!

New year, new starts!

 I hope to see a number of people make new starts through baptism before I finish my mission! It's coming up so fast, I keep being surprised as I look at the calendar. But I'm still loving being here and have been so humbled by the opportunity to serve. 

 I've been reflecting a lot on miracles this week, because we saw so many and we watched the movie 17 Miracles, which is about the handcart companies and the miracles that they saw as they crossed the plains. Some of the miracles were absolutely incredible, but what struck me the most was that almost without exception they were personal - they were one-on-one miracles that weren't meant to draw attention, but to reward the faith of those who were asking for them. That is so often how I've seen miracles on my mission as well - very personal, one-on-one interactions and experiences that have grown my faith and the faith of others.  

Saturday, we had a day FULL of miracles. We were biking all day because we'd just about run out of miles, and though we didn't find any Spanish people to teach but we were able to talk to a lot of people and give out a number of Books of Mormon. We really pushed ourselves to talk with everyone we saw, no matter how awkward it was, and we were rewarded for it -

Some of our investigators who have never been to a baptism, came to one on Saturday afternoon, and the spirit was so strong!  That night was another incredible miracle. As I said, we'd just about run out of miles, so we called Sister Allred (the Relief Society president) to see if she and her daughter could come out with us. She said yes and she later told us that she'd had other plans but felt very impressed to cancel them. We were so humbled and grateful! And THEN, we went to try to see two of our investigators who we haven't seen for about a month, they were right outside when we showed up!! They hit it off with Nicole (Sister Allred's daughter) we were so grateful for that miracle!

  We also had exchanges this week. I was with Sister Baggaley (who I love to death, she came out with me and goes home in two weeks) and we spent the morning in her area biking. We experienced another miracle where the first person we talked to was crazy prepared and immediately became a new investigator for them!

Love,

Hermana Garner

Miracles Never Cease!

Monday night was a night I will forever remember, for many different reasons. It was a night filled with every emotion, from utter despair to elation. It was a night where the Lord truly showed His hand and power in the work, and when my patience was tried.    

 ​It started out really, really rough. ​We decided to tract in an area we'd never been in before, and knocked two entire streets. Neither of them were friendly. We were rejected at each and every door, and not very nicely, either. As the last door closed, I broke down, right there on the woman's doorstep. Sister Neahusan just wrapped me in a hug and tried to calm me down, but I was really discouraged. You'd think it would have been the other way around, given that she's just barely finished her training and I'm close to going home, but I guess even 'seasoned' missionaries feel the sting and pain of rejection. The hardest thing about it is how much love you feel for these people and how much you want to give them such an incredible gift, and they don't even consider it.   

Hermana Garner's grandma
 and cousins got to attend the concert

  So we got back in the car to go somewhere else, and said a prayer to ask for guidance. I asked Sister Neahusan where to go, because I personally didn't feel like I was very in tune with the spirit at that moment, I was just wishing for the night to end as soon as possible so I could just lay down in bed. She responded, "No, I really think tonight is your night, and I feel a miracle coming on."     I tried not to laugh at her. I'd just broke down, I wasn't feeling any spiritual direction whatsoever - in fact, I was at a point at that moment where I just didn't want to be a missionary. Of course, I didn't discount the idea of a miracle happening, because I know that God is a God of miracles, but I was sure that He wouldn't be able to use me as a tool that night, because I did not feel spiritually in tune or capable in any way of being an instrument in His hands.  

But I started driving, heading out towards the main road, just wanting to get out of that neighborhood. As we drove, we passed an unlit street, and I had the thought to turn down it. Not trusting myself, I kept driving - until the spirit very quickly and clearly said, "Turn around."     I did, still not really trusting that it was the spirit and thinking that I was just making things up myself, and did a u-turn to go back to the unlit street. There were only four houses on it. We drove past the first two, which were completely dark, and then the third, which had a lot of cars there and obviously had some sort of party or gathering going on. So I stopped in front of the fourth house, which had one light on inside from what we could tell.      

Family friends, Anna and Julien Williams
spent some time
 with Hermana Garner this week
and were attended the concert

We said a prayer, then when we stepped out of the car saw a man standing outside. He looked up at us, and Sister Neahusan called out, "Hello!" He didn't respond, staring at us, and I, on a whim (since we couldn't see him at all) said, "Habla espanol?"     "Si."     We were both a little shocked that we'd pulled right up to the house of someone who spoke Spanish and was standing outside - and that he then accepted a copy of the Book of Mormon and a return appointment. It was such an incredible miracle, and I felt the Lord saying to me, "See? They are out there, trust me, I'll lead you to them."   

   We had a number of miracles like that this week, and found four new investigators! Still working on getting the investigators that we have to progress, but we've been finding a lot more people, which has been a blessing. I hope that a bunch of them came to the concert, it was hard to tell because there were so many people and a lot left right when it was over.  

It was a little tough being both a missionary and directing a concert this week. I tried to just not worry

too much about the concert.  It's hard not to wish I could really put my all into it and polish it, but in the end that's not what it's about and I always knew that. So I didn't spend that much time on it, it ended up being a bit thrown together yesterday with sound and bringing in risers and things, but the spirit was strong and the small groups did a great job and it was a full crowd! One of our members told us she brought TEN nonmembers, which is just amazing! 

Love,

Hermana Garner

(We got several reports from family and friend about how wonderful the Christmas concert was, they said the spirit was strong and Hermana Garner sang beautifully!)

Whirlwind Weekend

I LOVE working with Sister Neahusan! We hit the ground running right from the get-go and have seen so many miracles. Honestly, this past weekend felt like an entire transfer, but I know the rest of the transfer is going to go by so fast! 

 We've been able to get back in with an old investigator - I saw him twice this week, once with Sister Fuimaono and once with Sister Neahusan. A lot of things in his life are turning around and he's started reading the scriptures we send him daily. 

  We also saw another investigator twice.  She's been praying about a date and chose December 28th. We're praying that will go through

 We saw some other investigators that we hadn't seen for quite a while, and we were finally able to stop by after transfers. As we were planning what to do, Sister Neahusan was intent on giving them another baptismal date. I was much more hesitant - I didn't know if it would be the best thing for them, and I was sure it would be too pushy. We agreed to consider both sides and pray more about it later that day.   That same day we had the New Missionary Meeting (since Sister Neahusan just finished her training) and in one of the training sessions, we were roleplaying with another companionship. We decided to pretend to be these investigators, and at the end of the role play the other sisters invited us to be baptized on December 23th.   The moment they extended that date, I felt the spirit rush over me. As much as I didn't want to extend a date to them, worried about how they would react, the spirit seemed to be saying in that moment that that was what we needed to do. Hermana Neahusan felt the same, but we prayed to confirm the feeling before entering their house - and again felt the spirit confirm that yes, we were supposed to invite them to be baptized on that date.  I was terrified. I care so much about them and want the best for them, and I didn't know how they would respond to another date so soon, especially when we hadn't seen them in a while. But we followed the spirit, and at the end of our lesson with them we asked them to pray about being baptized on December 23rd. They said they would, and in the closing prayer, prayed right then in front of us to know if that was what the Lord wanted for them.  It was a huge testament to me of the power of the spirit, and that the Lord knows His children so much better than we do. It's why as missionaries we simply cannot rely on our own knowledge and abilities - we HAVE to turn to the Lord and rely on Him, because He knows so much better than we do.  

We were also able to have some great interactions with Gloria and her daughter this week. Her

daughter has a LOT of questions, but she said she'll think about baptism and pray about a date. She came to the Christmas party and got a doll from Santa, she was so excited! It was adorable! And then, yesterday at church, she absolutely loved it, she looked completely comfortable and was glad that they were going to a Spanish ward. Gloria was so happy to see her so happy!  She loves nativities like I do, so I told her she can come with me today to pick out the nativity I'm getting as my Christmas present.

Ezekiel 2:6-7 felt really personal to me as I read it Sunday morning. ..........  

6 ¶ And thou, son of man, be not afraid of them, neither be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns be with thee, and thou dost dwell among scorpions: be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house.  

7 And thou shalt speak my words unto them, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear: for they aremost rebellious.  

What first caught my attention was the mention of dwelling among scorpions, since that's been very true of my mission :P But applying the rest of the scripture to myself, it made me think of the nature of the calling that I have - that it doesn't matter if I'm accepted or not, my calling is to declare the word, and to do so without discouragement. Sometimes that's hard for me to remember, I want everyone who opens the door to just accept the gospel, but that's simply not the way it is. But that doesn't change my calling and responsibility as a missionary, and I can trust in the Lord, despite the scorpions that surround me :P

Also, in studying Sister Eubank's talk from the General Women's Session of conference, I was really struck by her admonition to be articulate in expressing why we believe what we believe. I decided to write down her questions.  

1. How do you feel about Jesus Christ? 

 2. Why do you stay in the Church? 

 3. Why do you believe the Book of Mormon is scripture? 

 4. Where do you get your peace?   

5. Why does it matter that the prophet has something to say in 2017? 

 6. How do you know he is a real prophet? 

We learned how to make pupusas!!
This is the first one I made, it was good!
I love, love, love pupusas!

 I'm still working on articulating my exact thoughts on each of these in my study journal, but I invite each of you to ponder the same thing. Expressing our faith and testifying to all those around us is how we're going to change the world!  

Love you!! <3

Hermana Garner 

This was the mini stocking I got from one of the couple missionaries, and it reminded me so much of our stockings that I got a little emotional to be honest haha

New Companion

I read a quote in the December Ensign that really stood out to me from the Portraits of Faith series (page 75). This woman said:   "Truth is truth, regardless. You don't have to argue it. You don't have to prove it. It just is. It's real; and it's real for everyone."  So many people think truth is relative, but we know it's not. I'm grateful for that understanding.  

 I also received new insight from Jeremiah 31:35. It mentions "the ordinances of the moon," and I was confused, so I looked at the footnote. With 'ordinance' there, the footnote says, "OR established courses." When explaining ordinances to people on the mission, I've always said that it's the steps we need to take to achieve exaltation. But in reading this explanation of the word - 'established courses' - I was struck by how Christ established the way and course for us. Of course, this was something I already knew, but it helped me understand and have more of an appreciation for the word itself and what it really means - each of them is part of the Lord's established course for us.

It was a bit of a slow week for a few different reasons.  I'll miss Sister Fuimaono (she's getting transferred) I'm looking forward to getting to know my new companion and new transfer! 

 But we saw some HUGE miracles this week!! The first was with a sweet couple that I met OVER A YEAR AGO with Sister Cedeno, and I've ended up serving with them in my area for the majority of my mission (they're right on the border of the branch and the ward). I've been trying to get in with them for that whole time, because the few times that I did catch them they always made appointments and were super open and seemed like they would be really receptive - they just have busy schedules and were never actually there when we went for appointments.  But this Tuesday, we had an appointment, and they were there and they let us in, and after A YEAR of trying to teach them we taught them the restoration - and they were super receptive! They said they'd pray about it and read the pamphlet (we didn't have a lot of time and didn't teach the whole lesson). They already have Books of Mormon, and they've actually been to Nauvoo of all places (they have family that lives in Illinois and they went by one day, just curious). They went to the Gilbert temple open house twice and loved it and are very open to learning more.  It was just incredible to me, that over a year later, they finally became investigators! I almost cried when they let us inside the house and we sat down, I've had so much love for them since the first time I've met them and really have wanted to share this with them! We're trying to go by them tonight, their schedules really are a bit unpredictable, so pray that we'll get a hold of them!​  ​

We also had a great lesson with Gloria and her daughter, and it was so cute to watch Gloria teach her daughter about Joseph Smith and bear her testimony without even really knowing that was what she was doing. Ana was very engaged and interested, and we talked a lot about how she can pray and receive answers to her prayers.

  ​The choir is sounding good! We had a rehearsal going through all the numbers last Thursday and it

went well.  Sister Wheeler said she could really feel the spirit, so that's what's important!​

​We've been able to get in with some less actives who NEVER open the door and melt their hearts a little by offering to cook dinner for them! Service really does go a long way, which is why #LightTheWorld is such an inspired initiative.  As we serve people and show our love for them and the love that God has for them, it will warm their hearts and they'll remember it when the time is right.  They're our brothers and sisters, and we get so much joy out of serving them ourselves!  

Sister Neahusan (my new companion) just came into the gym and literally ran up to me screaming, "Are you so excited to be companions????" before tackling me in a hug. Pretty good start to the transfer haha​ 

Love,

Hermana Garner

Thanksgiving Dinners

We were able to talk to a lot of people about the Christmas concert this week. I love that Christmas is coming up! It's an easy way to get people to be more receptive, and the Christmas concert is an opportunity I'm super excited about. There's a special power in music, a special power in the Christmas season, and a special power in missionaries bearing testimony - and when you have all three at once, it's a powerhouse. It's truly exciting and humbling to be able to be a part of it.   

So ... Thanksgiving.  ​It was a really great day! In the morning, we had rehearsal for the Christmas concert, and it's sounding really good! I'm humbled that I got to be such a big part of it and as always with anything I put on, it's fun to see it start coming together. It's been a little stressful, adding that onto regular proselyting work, but also brought me a lot of joy and helped me be more in tune with the spirit.   The rest of the day was basically dinners. We weren't allowed to leave the house without having an appointment, and the only appointments you get on Thanksgiving are for dinners. 

    First, we had an early dinner with some of Hna Fuimaono's extended family - she had no idea they lived here, had never met them before, but found them while tracting with Sisters Hanson and Neahusan.  They were so welcoming and it was so fun to be at their house. We got to share a short message about gratitude, and I prayed in Samoan, which touched them. It wasn't very good haha but at least I tried! Sisters Cedeno and Weyand were also there, it was so fun to be able to see them so much this week while they were visiting! We still have leftover cornbread and sweet potatoes from them in our fridge, the sweet potatoes were reeeeealllly good.   

Then we went to the Aguirre's - that's the family that sent you the picture. They're an amazing family,

they're converts to the church of about five years and incredibly strong. The oldest son just got back from his mission in the Dominican Republic, and Brother Aguirre is the assistant ward mission leader. They took us to the Christmas lights with Gloria and her daughter on Friday, which was so fun!  
  Next, we went to the Hoffman's. It was just us, the elders, Brother and Sister Hoffman and their son. It was a tender, intimate dinner where we were able to really talk about the purpose of the season as we sat there. They're from Venezuela, and they made a traditional dish that they make for Christmas there called pan de jamon. It was AMAZING -  as soon as I ate it I was in love. They gave me four pieces to take home, and I enjoyed it even more for breakfast the next day when I wasn't so stuffed haha.  

Those three were pretty traditional Thanksgiving dinners, but then we went to the Lopez's house for our last one and I got to see how hispanics celebrate Thanksgiving! It was so much fun, there was music and dancing and a really, really good cocoa. Everyone was just hanging around and enjoying each others' company, it was the Lopez's whole family and then a bunch of their friends from the ward. They're such a great family,

Sisters Cedeño and Weyand came to surprise Gloria

   Compared to Thursday, Friday was very slow, but we had an awesome experience at the Mesa Temple Christmas Lights with Gloria and her daughter. she was obsessed with taking pictures of everything, which was cute to see, and you could tell that both of them felt the spirit as we walked around and looked at the nativities and talked a little about what it all meant.  Gloria is so happy to have her daughter here finally, it's sweet to see. Gloria is jumping right into teaching her everything, and she's already set aside a night every week for Family Home Evening and really wants to keep that spirit in her home always and help her daughter feel it.   Going through their presentation of nativities got a little emotional for me, to be honest. It was like a mini (VERY mini) version of the creche in Morristown, and it made me miss New Jersey. It also made me miss setting up my nativities with you, Mom, and wish I could be a part of that. But I wasn't exactly feeling homesick, just feeling love for all of you!

with Sister Weyand

  Saturday we got a surprise call from some of the sisters in our zone asking me to accompany one of them for a musical number for a baptism. She already had a song picked out, and it was one I'd never played, so I was really nervous I wouldn't be able to do it. It was definitely rough ... but in general, I can see how my sight-reading has improved a lot with being on the mission and being asked to play all the time. Still, I wished it was better. But the spirit was there! It was a sweet old man getting baptized, he just started coming to church on his own and the first conversation he had with the missionaries started with, "I like this church, how do I join?" Why can't that happen all the time??? lol​  

Love,
Hermana Garner

Lunch with mi mamá de misión!!

Working With Lots of Great People!

Monday night, we didn't have a lot of time, but we decided at 8:00 PM to try to go by a family. We showed up just as they were pulling into their driveway. We were able to get their phone numbers, then they said, "Do you want to come inside?" We all sat down around the table, and it turns out that one of them has been independently searching for a church and had decided to come to ours on Sunday.  We talked about our purpose as missionaries and how we can know that God is really there and taught her how to pray. We asked her if she would be baptized if she knew this was all true, and she said yes and committed to be baptized on December 9th! ... The only sad part of this story is that they didn't come to church like they said they would, so we're going to go by tonight and hopefully figure out what happened. 

 One person did come to church, whose going to an English ward closer to their house, but they went with Sister McKeen and are excited about it. We've started teaching the daughter and she has a lot of questions. It's so fun to watch her mom teach her, and be so excited to share the gospel with her daughter. She's already set a night for family night and wants us to come whenever we can. This Friday we're going to the Mesa Christmas lights with them, which I'm excited about!​  ​

Hermana Garner with one of her new friends! 

Another young woman we are teaching didn't get to go to church (she also goes to an English ward closer to her house) but her father said he would go WITH her next week, which we're excited about. She has great support in that ward. The Young Woman's president is amazing - she took her to Deseret Book and bought her her own set of scriptures with her name on them, and has been willing to drive to Phoenix to pick her up for church when she's with her mom over the weekends! I want to be that devoted to service when I return home. We sometimes have trouble getting in touch with her, but we're going to start having regular lessons before mutual, so that'll be great. She's already telling everyone she's going to be baptized.  She went to the New Member Fireside with us last night  and said she felt the Spirit a lot and felt direction from the Lord.  ​

As we were trying to contact some potentials and new investigators, we met a man (who I'd actually met before, but never had a full conversation with). We'd talked to his wife a couple weeks ago and she seemed super interested, but when we were talking to him he kept saying he already knew about the church and saying that we needed to study the bible more. It wasn't in an antagonistic way, he was just emphasizing how much he believes in the bible, but he was talking about how the bible says not to add to the gospel, and he thinks the reason his wife's interested in what we're saying is because she doesn't know the bible as well as he does and doesn't know that we're adding to it. Though I didn't say that, I was struck by the truthfulness of that scripture - that we must not add to the gospel of Jesus Christ. What people don't understand is that the Book of Mormon doesn't add to the gospel at all - it's the same gospel, just another witness of it. We didn't try to argue with him about it, though, but we did talk about the importance of relying on the Lord to help us understand the scriptures, and by the end he agreed to read a pamphlet and pray about it, which to me was a small miracle. 

The choir is sounding great for the Christmas concert, I'm so excited about it! We also had a review of all the small group numbers this Saturday, and I was super impressed by them - they sound so good!  They're all so talented! 

I've been really bad at sharing my scripture study the past couple of weeks, and I apologize for that! But here are some of the thoughts that have stood out to me the most recently. 

 In Isaiah 28:24-29, Isaiah talks about how the plowman doesn't treat every plant the same, but he knows that they each need something different to grow. He compares this to how the Lord will harvest the earth, and it made me think more about our individual journeys to conversion. Everyone has a different story, and what brought me to Christ and to know of the truthfulness of the gospel is very different than what has brought others that I know to that same knowledge. But the Lord knows exactly what we need to grow, so that He can harvest us up to Himself. 

 I shared D&C 64:33 a while ago which is the one that says, "Be ye not weary in well-doing..." and while reading in Isaiah 40:28-29, I was reminded of it. Isaiah says, "Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary?" Well, duh, right? But what's important to us is the next verse - "He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength." It's so comforting to know that we can and do receive strength from one who never wearies, who is always strong. Thus, the commandment of "Be ye not weary" can really be seen as an invitation - "Come to me, and I will strengthen you, that you may do my work." 

  ​Last fun little tidbit for this week - I've been learning how to pray and testify in Samoan! So I say most of my prayers in Samoan now, though it's very broken Samoan haha.

Ou te alofa mo otou uma lava! (I love you all!) 

 Hermana Garner

More Miracles!

It never ceases to amaze me the miracles I see on the mission. I don't know why I'm always surprised, but I constantly am by just how active the Lord is in His work. It's because we are His children, and He truly loves us and wants us to come back home. It's humbling to be able to feel a portion of that love and help Him in this important work. 

 Wednesday was zone conference, and every zone conference we have car inspections. So we got there a little early so we could refill the coolant and things (they always have supplies available) and when we went to open the coolant it started boiling over. So ... that's not good. After zone conference we ended up having to go all the way to the dealership to drop it off, and then we were stranded in Gilbert and had to find a ride back home.  

flat tires from running over goats head thorns

And as a result of all of that, we didn't have a car on Thursday for exchanges, so we were on our bikes all day. And as you can see from the pictures I sent  ... that didn't turn out so well haha. We ended up stranded halfway to an appointment and had to call the other sisters for a ride back to the house.   

But then, we were walking to WalMart to buy tubes for our tires and I heard someone call my name! Natalie Giddens (one of Herman Garner's young women's leaders forom when we lived in GA) came up to us! Turns out she lives in our area, and she actually ended up giving us a referral. We stopped by the next day and also made a dinner appointment, so we're eating dinner with them this next Thursday :) 

 We finally got the car back that night, and headed to an appointment. We had a great lesson, reading Mosiah 18 and talking about becoming converted and the choice to be baptized. We extended December 2nd as a baptismal date, and they both accepted!!  The spirit was so strong! They are both diligently seeking truth! 

  Friday night, we organized a night of going on splits with a bunch of ward members, and I went out with Sister Dickinson, the relief society secretary. She's from Ecuador and she's absolutely hilarious, and really sweet. That morning, Sister Fuimaono and I had planned what we each wanted to do while we were on splits, but as Sister Dickinson started driving none of it felt right. So, we said a prayer, and eventually ended up at the house of a family that's been on our potentials list for a while. When we got there, the 13-year-old daughter answered the door, and she was clearly happy to see us. Long story short, she had taken her mom's Book of Mormon and started reading it, even though it was in Spanish and she doesn't really know how to read Spanish. So she was thrilled when we gave her an English one. We taught her how to prayer, and in her prayer before we left she said, "And please help me because I really do want to know if the Book of Mormon is true." We have an appointment with them tonight and are excited to get back in! The older sister came out at the end and asked for her own Book of Mormon as well, and they both told us that the dad has been hoping we would stop back by soon.  

  We're definitely looking forward to this week and hoping that we'll be able to put more people on date and help them to find the joy of the gospel! 

Love,

Hermana Garner

Tender Mercies 6 & 7: Finding Happiness and Learning to Forgive

First day of 6th grade. New state, new school - new life.

It would be an understatement to say that I was nervous.

But I went in with high hopes. When I saw Rachel in the hall - the one person I new in my grade, since she was a member of my ward - I smiled and waved, but unfortunately she wasn't in my class.

That's okay, I thought. I'll just make new friends.

Sitting down, the shocking realization that everyone around me was speaking another language momentarily put me into a catatonic state. I knew we lived close to Mexico, but I hadn't really thought about how close and that I would suddenly be a minority in my community.

It was overwhelming.

But again, how exciting, to be able to have this new experience and learn about a culture that was different than what I'd always grown up with!

The day went by quickly, and before I knew it I was in line waiting for the bus. Two girls sat in front of me, chatting away in Spanish. One of them turned to face me, and I felt my heart jump a little with the anxiety any new kid feels.

"Do you speak Spanish?" she asked brightly.

"No," I said with a bit of a sheepish laugh. "I just moved -"

"Oh, good!" she said, sounding relieved, then turned and continued to animatedly talk to her friend.

***

A few months passed, and I felt like I'd begun to find my place in this new world. I was learning a few Spanish words, but still couldn't join in many of the conversations my peers were having. But that was all right, they all spoke English too!

I'd joined a few school clubs - band, music appreciation, theatre - and was enjoying developing my talents. I'd also made an amazing friend - we'll call her Sandra - and spent most nights at her house playing with her dad's old typewriter and recording equipment.

She was in my classes, and we were almost inseparable. Every activity we did, we did it together. She even came to some church parties with me and enjoyed them!

Things were much better than they had been at the beginning of the year, and I was starting to feel like I fit in.

***

I don't remember when it was - sometime about halfway through the school year - but I arrived at school, and no one would talk to me. Not even Sandra. I told myself I was imagining things, but when we went outside to recess, and I went to the usual spot to hang out with my friends - no one joined me. In fact, they moved to the opposite end of the field, and kept moving further away from me when I tried to join them.

What is going on?

I ended up giving up on trying to join them, and went to sit on one of the swings. The playground almost immediately emptied of all the students in my grade. I watched them scatter from my presence like wild animals that sense danger.

Finally, after about 10 minutes, Victoria started heading towards me. She seemed somewhat hesitant as she sat on the swing next to mine, but managed a smile.

"How are you?" she asked.

"Confused," I said, frowning as Sandra and I made eye contact for just a moment before she immediately turned away. "Why is everyone avoiding me?"

Victoria hesitated, but then sighed. "Because of what Sandra said."

My eyebrows shot up in shock. "What - What did she say?"

The rest of recess, Victoria told me how Sandra had spread all my secrets throughout the school (as horrible as a 6th graders secrets can be) and dozens of lies as well, saying I said things I never did, that I stole from her, that I was a liar - and many more horrible things I never thought people actually said about each other.

That night, I went home and cried for hours. I cried every night for at least a month.

***

Victoria was practically the only person who talked to me at school. I was grateful for her friendship, but that didn't make everything else that much easier. Still, she was someone to lean on.

But I was not happy. I wanted to go back to Utah desperately, where I knew I had friends and I wasn't ostracized by my class. Or at least, I wanted the school year to end so I could move on to middle school and hopefully make friends with people who didn't think I was a thief and a liar.

It was in the middle of all of this that I turned 12 and joined Young Womens. I was immediately introduced to the Personal Progress Program.

Well, I had no friends to really spend time with, so what else was I going to do with my time?

I jumped head first into completing my projects to get my medallion. And suddenly, I found that I was happy again. People still didn't really talk to me, and they still made fun of me, but as I developed my faith, divine nature, individual worth, and other values, I didn't feel alone. I started to recognize who I was, that I was a daughter of God, that my family was still there for me, and that they always would be.

And that, above all, Heavenly Father had a plan for me, and that plan included being happy.

The next year was full of rich, rewarding experiences that brought me closer to my Father in Heaven and healed broken bonds with my friends and acquaintances at school. I did move on to middle school, and I met some amazing people. And before I turned 13, I'd earned my Personal Progress medallion.

***

As 7th grade ended, so did my time in South Texas. The last day of classes, I boarded a plane with my family to our next stop on our journey - New Jersey. I didn't know what to expect, but I was looking forward to a fresh start - and I knew that, no matter what happened, Heavenly Father would make it all work out, because that's what He did for me in Texas.

But as we got settled in our new house, there was a weight on my shoulders dragging me down - the bitterness I felt towards Sandra for what she'd done. There were so many things that would have been different if it hadn't been for her! I wouldn't have struggled so much, I would have had more friends, gone to more activities ...

One day, as I was again reflecting on this, a scripture came to my mind: "I, the Lord, will forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to forgive all men." (D&C 64:10)

Letting out a deep breath, I asked for strength from the Lord to forgive Sandra, a girl who I at one point had called my best friend. And when I'd worked up enough courage, I picked up the phone and dialed her number.

"Hola?"

"Hi ... is Sandra there?"

"Yes she is, just a minute ..."

I let out another breath until I heard her voice on the other line.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Sandra," I said softly. "It's Tiffany."

There was a long, uncomfortable silence. "Hi ..."

"So, I - I just wanted to call to say sorry," I muttered out.

There were plenty of things I'd said over my time in Texas in my anger that I shouldn't have, and the spirit was helping me recognize that and feel sorrow for not being more Christlike, whatever another person's actions had been.

"Sorry?"

"Yeah, for being rude to you," I said. "And ... I wanted to let you know that I forgive you, too, and I really, really hope you have a good school year."

Another awkward silence followed. "... Okay."

After a few more awkward exchanges, we both hung up. And the burden I'd felt on my shoulders was gone.

I couldn't stop smiling, feeling so much gratitude to my Father in Heaven, and truly wishing the best for Sandra.

A little bit later, I called Victoria, my one really close friend from Texas. A couple minutes into the conversation, she said, "I thought you would miss me more, but you sound so happy!"

I just laughed, smiling widely. "I do miss you, but ... I am happy. Really happy."