7 Wonders of West Hills

- June 18, 2018

Hey guys!

I'm going to have to be a little quick with this one, but here I go!

Favorite adventure:

I'm doing this instead of a funny thing because the reasoning behind it was actually kind of sad. The Hermanas in our zone had a baptism that was supposed to happen the same day as the Alfarros, just in the evening. Their investigator dropped them less than 24 hours before her baptism. They were super sad and were just having a really hard time with it, but we didn't know until 9 pm, when we were over at the church, setting up tables in the cultural hall for the baptism the next day. It was late, but there happens to be a McDonalds like 200 feet from our church building, so we decided to bring them ice cream. We got President Henrie's permission since it would mean we'd be out past curfew, and then we went through the drive through and headed to their apartment as fast as we could. We were literally sprinting through their gate before it closed, McFlurries in hand, to get it up to them. They were super surprised to see us, but it cheered them up for sure. It was a fun little adventure because we felt like we were on some crazy ice cream heist. I'm glad we were able to do it for them though.

Favorite Miracle:

We had seven baptisms this weekend!! Holy crap, it was so amazing. With a little bit of persuading from the bishop and the mission president, the Alfarros decided to move up the three of them who were on date for July 7 to June 16, with the rest of the family, so they could all get baptized together! It was seriously the sweetest thing. They are such an amazing family. It was so cool to be in the room with the font, just seeing them all sitting on the front row in white. Watching their baptisms was super special. Apparently with every one that went other, the girls were on their side of the dressing room watching, literally jumping up and down because they were so excited for each person in their family. And listening to their confirmations the next day was super cool too, because they were so individualized. I mean, there were seven members of this family all getting confirmed on the same day, two of which are twins, and their blessings were so special and unique for each one of them. I know that Heavenly Father knows and loves each of us individually. And He also loves our families. One more brother in the family is planning on getting baptized in a month or so, and the family wants to go to the temple in a year. It is truly such a blessing to have been able to be a part of this. I know that families can be together forever, and so do they. And they are so excited about it!

Really quick, I just want to let you know that I know this gospel is true. We had some really incredible experiences this week, especially with the Alfarros. We were meeting with them every single day to make sure they were ready for this. It was one of the craziest weeks of my mission so far, but also one of the most rewarding, because every single day we got to see how excited they are about the gospel. They went through some crazy trials this week - like, literally insane ones - because Satan did not want this family to get baptized. But they just keep pressing forward, because they knew how important this is. And now, their family has taken the first step into the eternities. They will be going to the temple in a year, and they will be an eternal family. How wonderful is that? I know that our Heavenly Father is on our side, cheering us on with ever step we take to make it back to Him. Sometimes it may be hard, that's for sure. But it is so worth it. I know that this gospel is true, and that Jesus is the Christ. I know that this is His church on the earth. And I know that because of Him, each of us can be with our families forever. He loves us so much.

Watch for the miracles in your lives. They are there.

Until next week,

-Sister Garfield