Week 19...

So first off Hermana Bumstead and I are staying together!!!!!!!!! We are so excited!! This is going to be an awesome transfer especially with Christmas coming up! Also our zone leaders are staying together and they are still going to be a trio which means they can still give us rides when they can!!! :)

So this week was crazy because it snowed so much and was bitterly cold!!!  We weren't able to teach as much this week but we were able to serve a lot of people. There were calling for snow and they said only like 3 inches, it snowed over a foot, CRAZY!!!! Tuesday was when the snow hit and it was coming down sooooo hard.  We were like we really can't go out and walk in this so we ended up doing service all day and helped shovel driveways.  People were so appreciative of the help, we shoveled at least 10 driveways if not more. 

Also this week I went on exchanges with Sister Smith, the sister training leader for our zone.  She came to our area.  She is so sweet! I felt really bad because she has a car so she wasn't used to walking a lot and it was super cold! We made it work and were able to get some rides! Its nice here in Provo because we will just be walking on the main street and people will just pull over and offer to give us a ride.  Sister Smith was awesome! She kept telling me that I was such an amazing missionary and that she can tell I really love the people.  I really do love the people here, the people we are working with I have gotten so close to! Whenever I have to leave this area, it is going to be super tough.

This week we also had ZTM (zone training meeting).  We talked a lot about how to work better with members and get them involved more.  We also talked about using Preach my Gospel and that we should be using it our entire mission.  President McCune challenged all of us to read the Book of Mormon and Preach my Gospel everyday in our personal studies.  I can already see the difference that challenge had made on me.  We also talked a lot about Jesus Christ and his atonement.  We all had the opportunity to bear our testimonies about the Savior.  When I got up to share mine, I started to get emotional.  If anything my testimony of the Savior has strengthened so much since being on the mission.  Everything I have gone through I couldn't have done without the help of my Savior. 

This week we went over to Caty's house.  She is less active and she's a single mother with a 5 year old son.  We go over to help her fold boxes and do service for her.  This week we helped put up her Christmas tree and other decorations around her apartment.  Her son is so cute, when we put up the Christmas tree he was so excited! He kept saying "LOOK AT THE CHRISTMAS TREE, IT'S SO PRETTY. I AM SO EXCITED FOR CHRISTMAS. THANKS HERMANAS FOR HELPING MY MOM.  I just loved seeing how excited he was for Christmas.  It reminded me how precious this time of year and that everyone should feel that joy of Christmas that this little boy feels.

This Saturday we have a baptism for a 10 year old girl named Jana.  Her family is less active and we have worked to reactivate them and they all have been going to church for the past several weeks.  We have to still teach her one more lesson tonight and then the Elders will do her baptism interview and then she will be good to go! We are super excited for her, she has grown a lot since I have been here and really knows that this is something really special that she wants to do.  Also on Saturday we have our ward Christmas party.  We are super excited because there will be a lot of great food and it will be lots of fun.  Spanish wards really know how to party haha but really they do. 

Well I am about out of time.  Thanks again for all the love and support!

Mom and Dad, Happy Anniversary this week! Thanks for getting married so that I could come into this world and be a part of this wonderful Gospel. You both are amazing parents, thanks for everything you do! Can't wait to talk to you and the whole family for Christmas!!

Love you all!

Love,
Hermana Garces