BLESSED TO BE SERVING THE LORD

That is so crazy that all happened!  [Referring to Elder Chase Omana's accident].  The car is absolutely smashed! You have to tell Diane and their family that I will be praying for them and everything! That is so sad but it's a miracle that he is getting better and everything! And that is sad about Bapsie too! 

Everything here has been great though! We now have quite a few people on date and a few others were reactivated yesterday! This area is literally on fire now! It was so sweet because on Tuesday we had a lesson with Karina who is the daughter of Hermana Velez and we had it down stairs with Hermana Rojas and it was amazing! Hermana Rojas has a story just like hers so the spirit was so strong and Karina loved it! She has came to church the last 3 weeks with her 2 daughters and son and she is now on date for the 6th! Hopefully 2 of her kids will be baptized with her but we still aren't sure! I am loving everything here so much! 

We have another family who is a single mother and her kids. She loves church and she told her work that she couldn't do it on Sunday's because she had to go to church and the ward just loves her! We put her on date for Christmas Eve and she was so ready and she has such a strong desire to make the covenant! She texted us and told us she was going to Virginia for a week to see some of her family but she will be back soon because she has a promise to make with the Lord! We were so happy because she is progressing so well! 

Everything is going great here! But for Christmas I don't really need anything! I am happy with everything I already have here! It's the biggest blessing to be out here serving the Lord! For Thanksgiving we already have our whole day booked basically so it's going to be great! We may have to eat like 4 times so I am nervous but so excited at the same time! What are your plans for thanksgiving this week? Love you mom and have a great day! And did you ever get the pictures of Flors baptism??

Elder Garrett Eichers

Illinois Chicago Mission

TOO BUSY TO WRITE

Mom! I am so sorry that I didn't have the chance to write really today we just had some do some urgent stuff so the time that we planned to talk we had to leave and help some other missionaries! Everything is great though and I am loving Everything! I will write you a letter this week!

Elder Garrett Eichers
Illinois Chicago Mission

THREE HUGE MIRACLES

This week has been great! To start off Elder Perez and I will be staying together! I am really excited because we still have so much work together to do in this area! I am a little nervous though because three transfers is a pretty long time but I love Elder Perez so much! We have been having so much fun together but we still get tons of work done! 

There were three huge miracles that we have had this week though! The first is that this week we were over at the Guzman family's house and the Grandpa is active and the grandma is just reactivated and this week we had a lesson with them. The Parents are less active and their son just barely turned 9. We have been working with them so hard to return ever since I have been in this area! We have tried everything and we finally found the answer this week! It's a pretty direct answer so when I write you a letter I will share more about the experience with you! But anyways this family is on fire right now! They are inviting us in now an extra time a week and the son Steve has a baptismal date for the 29th.  They came to institute/mutual and everything this week and also to church! We are so excited for them because they are stepping up so big right now!

The second miracle this week was we have been working with the Huicochea family since I have been here and so the grandma in the family is named Hermana Velez and she is a member! So Karina is the mom and she has the strongest testimony of the church the only thing is that her husband is against everything. She has been trying to talk to him about letting her come and everything and take the lessons but she is scared something was going to happen. This week on Wednesday when we were in district meeting I just felt like we needed to offer her a priesthood blessing and so we went and we had an amazing lesson and then we invited her to receive the blessing and when we put our hands on her head and I said he name I just started crying. It was by far one of the most spiritual moments in my mission! After we walked out Elder Perez and I just looked at each other and we were just like I promise I wasn't crying just sweating out of eyes and we were laughing so hard but the lesson was just so amazing!! I felt how much the Lord has for her that day! Then she came to church with her 2 daughters yesterday and I was so happy!! It was so amazing!!

The last one was that there was a baptism yesterday in Chicago 4 so I got to go up there and see all of the members! I loved it and was so happy to see Flor get baptized and then we got to help in the confirmation! Elder Lee got to baptize her! I don't have the pictures right now so I will send them next week! 

I am so sorry to hear about Grandpa but everything will be okay. It's kind of crazy because we always testify of the plan of salvation but it has never been so real yet because nobody close has really passed away but it just makes the joy of the gospel that much sweeter! I just am loving the people here and this Gospel.

I love you more than anything though mom! I hope you have a great day!