A la Canta

Goodbye,

  These get harder to write each week. Not because I don't want to, it's just as this way of living becomes less new, it becomes harder to remember all the details of each day. I will tell you what I can, though.

  I went on two exchanges this week. For those who don't know, that's when two companionships switch companions for the day. So on Tuesday I was with Elder Cooper, who laughs like a hyena and has a car, so it we were able to get a lot more done that day than when on bikes. On Friday I was with Elder Owens, who knows every song that no one knows. We did a ton of biking that day and actually didn't end up doing too much knocking, because all of our original plans didn't seem right when we actually got to them. It was fun to get to know some of the other Elders in the district better, and they both gave me some pretty good advice for getting the most out of my mission.

  With Elder Cooper, we ended up teaching a lesson with a really nice guy and he's actually had all the lessons before. We talked a lot about what's holding him back, and he basically said he wants to find out for himself, so he is going to stop meeting with the missionaries for awhile. There was a lot more to the conversation that I won't get into, but even with that bad news Elder Cooper and I felt pretty confident that he'll come back, because he really is just trying to make sure he really believes and not just relying on what he's being told.

  The most interesting thing on my exchange with Elder Owens was much less significant. We were knocking and hadn't really talked to anyone. We knocked on one door and a dog started barking and jumping at the door. We could tell no one was home, so we started to leave. Right then we heard the door creak open, but there was no one there. After a couple seconds, the dog came out and walked up to us, waiting to be pet. We were both standing there, petting the dog, and being very confused. We had no idea what to do, because we weren't going to walk into a stranger's house to lead the dog in and leave, but we couldn't just close the door and leave the dog out. While trying to figure this out, the dog could tell we had lost interest in him, so he just walked back inside. We stood there for a second, then lightly closed the door and quietly walked away. The only thing about that situation that I wish was different was that we should have given him a Book of Mormon. 

  Other than that it's a pretty standard week, nothing else that I feel needs to be reported on right now. Life is good and I'm just going day by day.

Love Y'all,

 Elder Garner