Hola Familia!
It is so good to hear that you have a Christmas tree and that it was obtained without any tears. It sounds very exciting. There is a Christmas tree in the CCM auditorium that Hna Salmon and I got to decorate. It is beautiful of course. The Elders put the tree up and we put on the teddy bears. haha. Can you believe it is Christmas time??? There actually are Christmas lights on a lot of the trees here at the CCM, and the best part is that there is little music to go along with it.
It is so good to hear that you have a Christmas tree and that it was obtained without any tears. It sounds very exciting. There is a Christmas tree in the CCM auditorium that Hna Salmon and I got to decorate. It is beautiful of course. The Elders put the tree up and we put on the teddy bears. haha. Can you believe it is Christmas time??? There actually are Christmas lights on a lot of the trees here at the CCM, and the best part is that there is little music to go along with it.
Last night Hna Salmon and I were teaching our maestro in "the park" and we decided to sing, "Did You Think to Pray?" as part of the lesson. The challenge was singing louder than the singing Christmas lights. :) It was a special moment. Besides the Christmas lights and the fact that I am listening to Christmas music, it is so odd to me that it is Christmastime! It feels like summer still. As I hope it will feel during my whole mission. I love summer! And thus far, I love my mission!
I would like to make a short list of things that have changed my view on the world. These are not really very deep points....these are the superficial ones, but interesting nonetheless:
1. I found out this morning on our bus ride to the temple that 50 people can fit into a tiny bus. In all reality, only 30 people should fit. It was crazy.
2. You can use the same type of soap for your toilet and for washing your clothes and for washing the walls and for washing the sink. Who would have thought? It´s a one soap for all kinds of things we use
here.
3. During musical numbers here, the Latinos often join in singing. It is great fun!
4. Eggs do not need to be refrigerated. Good to know since I want hens in the future.
This week has flown by so quickly, and in just another week I am headed to ECUADOR!!! I am sooo excited. I have loved the past two months in the MTC and CCM. Every morning when my alarm goes off, I look at my alarm and also see a painting I brought by Simon Dewey of Jesus Christ washing someone´s feet. This is the best reminder to me of my purpose as a missionary. First, I represent Jesus Christ and because of this I must bring others to Him! I think one of the focuses of my mission so far has been to understand my calling as a missionary. As I understand it better, I can fulfill my responsibilities as I should. When I begin to feel discouraged about the language, about what in the world am I doing in Peru, etc, I remind myself that this is the best thing I could be doing with my life right now. And this is a once in a lifetime call. I will never
again be 21 years old in Peru preparing to go to Ecuador. So I better soak in every moment. I am doing my best to do this.
This past Saturday for proselyting, we went to some area of Lima that we heard was somewhat interesting. As missionaries though, we cannot worry about this because there are people who need to hear about the
gospel in every area. Hna San Francisco and I met a man who had been a drug addict, had read parts of the Book of Mormon, now believed in God, but he did not want to become a member of the church. When I
could understand bits and pieces of what he said, I was very touched by our Heavenly Father´s love for His children. I could just feel this. Even though this man had such a difficult background, I knew Heavenly Father loves him! I love sharing my testimony with people here.
It is amazing to me how much I have been blessed in learning the gospel and the language. When I left the Provo MTC, I was able to bear my testimony and this was a huge milestone. Now I am at another milestone I believe. Hna San Francisco and I are friends! We can talk and tell each other about our lives. The sister missionaries here are amazing.
This week we had representatives from the US Embassy visit. Hna Salmon, me, and 4 other North American Elders met with them. I got to share my experiences here in Peru with learning the language and everything. It brought me back to being a Daffodil Princess for a few moments. I loved doing Daffodil. That was such a fun, worthwhile experience. I want to always be involved in my community. That way I can always have people to share the gospel with!
I leave for Ecuador on Tuesday!! I cannot wait for Ecuador. The real adventure beckons.
I love you! Thank you for your love and prayers. I get to talk all the time about how families are forever and I am so thankful to know this. I am thankful for your examples of faith to me.
Love,
Hna Garlock
I would like to make a short list of things that have changed my view on the world. These are not really very deep points....these are the superficial ones, but interesting nonetheless:
1. I found out this morning on our bus ride to the temple that 50 people can fit into a tiny bus. In all reality, only 30 people should fit. It was crazy.
2. You can use the same type of soap for your toilet and for washing your clothes and for washing the walls and for washing the sink. Who would have thought? It´s a one soap for all kinds of things we use
here.
3. During musical numbers here, the Latinos often join in singing. It is great fun!
4. Eggs do not need to be refrigerated. Good to know since I want hens in the future.
This week has flown by so quickly, and in just another week I am headed to ECUADOR!!! I am sooo excited. I have loved the past two months in the MTC and CCM. Every morning when my alarm goes off, I look at my alarm and also see a painting I brought by Simon Dewey of Jesus Christ washing someone´s feet. This is the best reminder to me of my purpose as a missionary. First, I represent Jesus Christ and because of this I must bring others to Him! I think one of the focuses of my mission so far has been to understand my calling as a missionary. As I understand it better, I can fulfill my responsibilities as I should. When I begin to feel discouraged about the language, about what in the world am I doing in Peru, etc, I remind myself that this is the best thing I could be doing with my life right now. And this is a once in a lifetime call. I will never
again be 21 years old in Peru preparing to go to Ecuador. So I better soak in every moment. I am doing my best to do this.
This past Saturday for proselyting, we went to some area of Lima that we heard was somewhat interesting. As missionaries though, we cannot worry about this because there are people who need to hear about the
gospel in every area. Hna San Francisco and I met a man who had been a drug addict, had read parts of the Book of Mormon, now believed in God, but he did not want to become a member of the church. When I
could understand bits and pieces of what he said, I was very touched by our Heavenly Father´s love for His children. I could just feel this. Even though this man had such a difficult background, I knew Heavenly Father loves him! I love sharing my testimony with people here.
It is amazing to me how much I have been blessed in learning the gospel and the language. When I left the Provo MTC, I was able to bear my testimony and this was a huge milestone. Now I am at another milestone I believe. Hna San Francisco and I are friends! We can talk and tell each other about our lives. The sister missionaries here are amazing.
This week we had representatives from the US Embassy visit. Hna Salmon, me, and 4 other North American Elders met with them. I got to share my experiences here in Peru with learning the language and everything. It brought me back to being a Daffodil Princess for a few moments. I loved doing Daffodil. That was such a fun, worthwhile experience. I want to always be involved in my community. That way I can always have people to share the gospel with!
I leave for Ecuador on Tuesday!! I cannot wait for Ecuador. The real adventure beckons.
I love you! Thank you for your love and prayers. I get to talk all the time about how families are forever and I am so thankful to know this. I am thankful for your examples of faith to me.
Love,
Hna Garlock
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