A Note From Ashley

Hey everyone, 

I apologize for my lack of posting Elder Garrett's letters! Christmas was great, mostly because we got to talk to Elder Garrett! He sounds really good and is excited about the work he is doing.  Thanks to those who sent him Christmas presents and letters, they made his day! He will be sending home a SD card full of pictures, so I will post some of them when we get it. Below are 3 new letters.....Enjoy!

Ashley

Well this Saturday we have a baptism with Nancy Casamelhuapa!!! I'm so excited, its been a lot of work to get to this point but I know that I learned some lessons that I wouldn't of learned without it. I'm so grateful for the chance to be serving the Lord in Bakersfield,

This week we also taught Mark, he is doing great! We taught him the plan of salvation and now he is excited to get baptized so he can make it to the Celestial Kingdom! I started to laugh when I heard him say that, but he is really excited to be baptized. And he is so excited about the Book of Mormon, which makes me even more happy! He is reading it everyday and is changing things in his life to come closer to Christ!

Oh and Elder Wenz is staying in Bakersfield!!! I'm so excited that we get to stay together for at least one more transfer, and Elder Wenz is now the District leader! This is going to be a good transfer!!!!


It was good to hear from you yesterday!!!

Love you all
Elder Garrett

HEY! Well I'm so excited for Christmas!

 

This past week has been crazy and I'm not even sure where to begin! Since Elder Wenz hurt his shoulder and can't ride a bike we are walking everywhere! Its fun but it takes up so much time. We also have been bugging the members for rides all the time! They are going to start to hate us pretty soon.. ha ha. But they are all so willing to help us and make sure that we always have rides to our teaching appointments! 

 

We are still teaching Mark, he is around 20 years old and it turns out that his dad is a member already but hasn't been active for 15 years. We are going to start teaching his whole family soon as well. He has 6 siblings all younger than him! What a find! We were blessed to find them. Every time we ask Mark when he wants to meet with us he says AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!! So thats always comforting that he is really interested. He is understanding everything we teach him and is thirsting for more of it. He loves the Book of Mormon! His baptismal date is January 14th, I'm so excited to see him be baptized!

 

Nancy Casamelhuapa is being Baptized on December 31st still and is so ready for it. She is amazing! Every time we meet with her she amazes me with how much she knows! But then I remember that she has been going to church for 3 years.  We were so blessed to be teaching her. 

 

We haven't been able to teach David this week but we have seen him pretty much everyday.  We have a teaching appointment with him tonight, it will the first time that we will be teaching his whole family (his wife and two sons). We are planning to be setting his wife and his oldest son (9) with a baptism date! Its going to be fun! We are planning on teaching them the Gospel of Jesus Christ! Its my favorite lesson to teach besides the restoration, because we get to focus on baptism so much!

 

Well I will be talking to you in about 5 days!!!! I cant wait!

 

I love you all so much and MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Elder Garrett.

Hey Family!!!

Well this week was a very interesting week! It started off great! We found this young guy named Marc tracting, and he invited us back to share with him what we believe and what we know to be true. We went back there the next day and taught him the restoration. He was very receptive and understood why there needed to be a restoration and when we asked him what he would do when he found out that this is the true church he would dedicate his life to it. Then we extended a invatation to be baptized and he excepted. He is going to be baptized on January 14th! I'm so excited that he wants to be baptized. And then we have David Tate who still wants to be Baptized and he is sharing the Gospel to his wife and kids now. So now we are going to teach him and his wife and two kids! One of the kids is 9 so thats so exciting! His date is January 14 as well.

And of course we have Nancy who still is excited for her baptism and has really been preparing for the last 3 years.  We are teaching her the lessons and extending commitments and making sure that she understands all the things that she is agreeing to when she enters into the covenant of baptism. Her date is December 31!

Elder Wenz crashed his bike Saturday, he seperated his shoulder. He is ok now just pushing some pills and making life funny.. ha ha! But now we have to walk everywhere, so thats gonna be fun. Tell the ward thank you so much for the cards, it made my day! And thank you so much for the gloves, beanie and the cd's! I'm so grateful for everyone.

Love you so much,
Elder Garrett

Address Change

Hey Everyone,


The California Ventura Mission Office is moving.  They will move on December 12th, so you can send your PACKAGES to the new address;

California Ventura Mission

3301 West Gonzales Road

Oxnard, CA 93036

If you are planning on sending Elder Garrett a Christmas present please make sure that it will be there by the 21st so the mission office can make sure that it is given to him by Christmas.  Better safe than sorry, just send it as soon as possible.  If you have any questions you can email me at ashleyrowbury05"at"gmail"dot"com.  

-Ashley 

Hey Family!

Well this week was cold! (Not really but it seemed cold!) It got around 32 degrees and my hands were freezing! Elder Wenz and I are ridding bikes like crazy out here. We are averaging around 20 miles a day, my legs are so tired but I love riding though.  The Lord is definitely showing us the blessings of the hard work.

Last Friday in weekly planning we set a goal to hand out 4 Book of Mormons each and leave a commitment to read and pray about it. So over the past 3 days we have been passing out Book of Mormons and leaving commitments like crazy! It helps if they make a commitment to reading it cause then they feel guilty if they haven't. We are really trying hard to help the people in this area come unto Christ.

During our Zone Conference last Wednesday President Castro was talking about the Doctrine of Christ and  when we use it in our teaching and declaring we are able to have the Lord's spirit more abundantly. Elder Wenz and I are starting to use it all the time in our declarations of the Gospel. This way when people are really excited about the Gospel, we know that they are more ready than someone who doesn't show that same excitement. It is helping us to know how is elect.

President Castro has also asked us how we ourselves are coming unto Christ. And reminded us that the Doctrine of Christ is a continual thing and that we always need to be trying to come unto Christ our entire lives. So I thought to myself how am I really coming unto Christ?  I thought of the person that I used to be and how there we so many things that I should have done better. Then I think of my life now. I'm always trying to make the right choices and I'm thinking of what the consequences of my actions will be. And then I realized that I really am trying to be more like Christ in everything that I do.

I'm so happy that I'm here serving the Lord. He is making things come to pass in my life that are truly miracles. I"m so greatful for the Book of Mormon and the guidance we can recieve from it.  I know that if we follow it's teachings that we are coming closer unto Christ.

I love you all and I'm sorry that I didn't send any letters last week, but I didn't get any stamps last Monday. (But I'm just on my way to get some!)
Miss you so much,

Elder Garrett

Hey Family!!!!

 

Hope all of you had a great Thanksgiving!

 

Well last week Elder Wenz got sick and we were stuck in until Saturday. So we missed Thanksgiving. We ended up having to cancel our two dinners. It sucked but at least I didn't have to eat two dinners! I got sick yesterday with an intense cold, so we only worked half the week and we still had one of the best weeks I have had on my mission. We have been picking up a lot of former investigators, I'm excited to go and teach them all! We have been working hard and the Lord is really blessing us.

 

Two Sundays ago this girl came up to Elder Wenz and I and she said she wants to be baptized. I was so blow away I had no clue what to say but ok! We asked her some questions and apparently she has been going to church and seminary for THREE years, but her mom said that she didn't want her to be baptized. So Nancy (the girl who wants to be baptized) said she would wait until she was 18, and she turns 18 on December 18th! She told us that she wants to be baptized on New Years Eve! I'm so excited to start teaching her on the 18th! 

That truly is a tender mercy from the Lord. We have been working so hard and all of the sudden some one came up and said "I want to be baptized", what a testimony builder that is! 

 

The work is getting easier and a lot more fun!

 

Hope all is well with you!

 

Love you 

Elder Garrett

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hey Family!!!!!

 

So my new companion, Elder Wenz is so cool! He is from Louisville, Kentucky!

 

 We have been working so hard the past week. We have been teaching lessons non stop! We have taught around 8 lessons in 5 days! We have 3 new solid investigators that are really excited about what we are teaching them and they invited us to come back. Elder Wenz and I work well together! Our teaching styles go well together and our testimonies feed off of each others. Its really amazing to see the spirit teach someone rather than us teach them. I have realized that the Holy Ghost is a way better teacher than me or any other missionary out there!

 

 We live with the zone leaders still! The one that was kind of not so nice and not happy at all left! The new Zone Leader, Schiess is amazing! I'm learning so much! He is teaching me things my trainer should of but didn't for some reason, so I'm really excited about it. 

 

 I'm so excited for Thanksgiving!! We have two dinners set up! Its going to be a rough day though.

 

 Oh, my new Companion Elder Wenz has only been out 5 months so its almost like we are training each other! President Castro is doing some really crazy things with leadership and trainers! I'm so excited about this transfer! I'm already learning so much from Elder Wenz!

 

 Bakersfield is weird its so cold here now, its around 40 degrees right now. I thought I was going to California not Canada!!! The nights are freezing, its hard falling asleep. I'm so greatfull for the coat that you sent me!  I have been using both the coats and my suit jacket! Its rough but at least I'm on a bike now. The other day we road 24 miles, it was such a long day but I slept like a baby!

 

Last Night we met this guy named Mike at the Wal Mart Parking lot. He was really nice! He is Baptist and wasn't interested in listening to us at all, but we were persistent and started talking about modern day prophets and how they are called of God just like Moses and Noah. He opened up and about the idea of talking to us and we told him that we have a uniuqe message about the fullness of Christ's Gospel on the earth today. He was so interested by the time the spirit was done with him he wanted to meet with us!

The Holy Ghost works in great ways that help us do this work as missionaries. I'm so greatful to be out here during this time of my life. I hope that you all have a great Thanksgiving! Its going to be weird being away from home for the holidays though.

 

I love you all! and hope all is well!

 

Elder Garrett

 

ps.. HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!!!!!!!!

A VERY Short Letter

Hey!

Well I'm not getting transferred! I figured I wouldn't. BUT I am getting a new companion! His name is Elder Wuenz. He is aparently new. But he is a really good missionary!

This week was long but very successful. We taught this young couple who has a firm testimony in Christ. They want us to come back and see them.

Its hard having this great message but no one wants to listen to it!

But I gotta go.. Elder Campbell has physical therapy. Sorry about the lack of news. I will have more next week!

Love, Elder Garrett

Well this is the last week in the transfer! So I wont find out if I'm being transferred next Monday morning!

But the big news of the week, the Lord has blessed me and my companion with a car! ha ha! Now we can go out and do work! We have been going crazy and talking to everyone we see!

Well our day..
 6:30am try to wake up and work out
7:00am Breakfast/get ready for the day
8:00am Personal study
9:00am Companion study
11:00am we usually tract
12:30pm lunch
1:30pm we go see potential investigators
5:30pm Dinner with a member every day!
7:00pm Back to Proselyting or lessons
9:00 pm HOME
10:30pm Bed

That's my day. I love going out and talking to random strangers! It makes me laugh most of the time cause every one has some crazy idea about us not believing in Christ already! ha ha
Well nothing too crazy or interesting happened this week. So nothing to report.

But you should send letters to the mission office this week unless you send it before November 9th. If your going to send me a package just send it to the mission office!

Well love you sooo much!!!!
Miss you all

Elder Garrett



*Side note from Ashley: Sorry I didn't post this earlier in the week, but remember that if you are sending a LETTER OR A PACKAGE please send it to the mission office (address on the right side bar of the blog).  And I'll try to be better about updating the blog when I get the letters.  :)

A Happy Halloween From Elder Garrett

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!!

 

Well this week let me see.... last Monday my companion hurt his knee so we really cant ride bikes that often or walk for that matter so we have been stuck inside all day and have been studying sooo much. It sucks but it is very good at the same time. We talked to Sister Castro (the Mission President's wife) about it and she said that he would most likely be transfered to a car area. So we will see what happens next week. ( I cant believe that the transfer is almost over! its crazy)

 

This area is tough. There is a lot of work that needs to be done, a lot of people dont really like talking to the missionaries.. well they love talking to us but not about the gospel. So that is very frustrating and discouraging, but Heavenly Father is just trying to teach me something! Just got to figure out what it is now ha ha.

 

This week was pretty slow nothing new really happened.. sorry.

 

I got the packages that you've sent! Thank you so much! Including the pants and the bread they both were welcomed! haha. 

 

I have become good friends with Elder Haws from Chandler Arizona! He is so cool. His cousin is Tyler Haws (the BYU basketball star ha ha) He is in the area right next to me and speaks Spanish. He is a stud! 

 

Well love you all!

 

Love Elder Garrett

Well well well.... The mission is going great! The people here are amazing! I have grown to love the area even the smog and the humidity haha! The days are going by so fast and the weeks are going even faster. I'm already half way through the transfer! I can't believe it.

 

The other day we had an apointment with shane so we stopped by and he wasn't home, so we left a card and asked him to call us when he got it. So around a hour later we recieved a text from him saying that we shouldnt come around his house anymore and that we shouldnt talk to him anymore. He told us that his family is getting mad about us comming around and that they are strong christians and dont want to talk to anyone who isnt..... it was so sad. we tryed to explain that we are Christians and that we believe in Jesus Christ and that he is our Savior but he wasn't having it. So we no longer have him as a investigator... it sucks.

 

But the work is still going great. We ran into a less active part member family the other day while we were riding around. She was very intersted in learning more about the book of mormon and wanted a copy. (She is the less active) Her fiance wanted to learn more about the Restoration. So we left him with a restoration book and told him that we would stop by later in the week and talk about it with him. he was very very intersted!! So Elder Campbell and I Invited them to the halloween party this wednesday that the ward is throwing ( so so excited about that! Chilli and Cornbread cook off!! and trunk or treating! going to be a good day! ha ha) but they sadi that they would come! So yeah I really hope that they will come.

 

Yeah the mission is going well!!

 

Love you all so much

 

Elder Garrett

Letters #1 and #2 From the Field

Letter #1:

Family and Friends,

Well The Lord has sent me to South Bakersfield! But luckily He loves me and sent me during the winter, the temperature is around 76 degrees right now.  The area is a biking one and I wasn't expecting that but its actually really fun.

My companion is Elder Campbell, he is from Lindon, UT! (And Granna, I already asked...he doesn't know you. Haha!) He is super smart so I'm learning tons from him.  The work is hard but I'm excited to do it! We got white washed into this area so we had nothing to go off of.  We already have two people with baptism dates, so that's pretty cool. It is very different teaching real people instead of actors. I'm so nervous when I teach, I don't really say much and I need to work on that.

So they are suing this new training program and my group is one of the first to use it, it is a 12 week program. It apparently will make us into some kind of super missionary, that's what President Castro says...we'll see.

The other night we were trying to find our house but we were kinda lost.  So we went down this street and I thought I heard my companion say "STOP", so I asked him why.  He didn't know what I was talking about so we kept on riding and again I heard someone say "STOP", so we stopped.  While I was telling my companion about what happened, a gang of 25 came out of the bike path we were planning on going down. You could smell the weed and you could tell that they were all high.  Who knows what would have happened if we would have kept going on.  I'm so glad I listened to that prompting!!

By the way, California really needs to work on the way they label their streets! There is no number system just names.  It makes it difficult to get around.  Other than that this place is cool! The people are amazing.  I hope to find so many people that are looking for the truth!

With Love, Elder Garrett



Letter #2:

Well week two is in the books! The work in this area has been dead for awhile apparently BUT..... The Lord has been blessing me and my companion to find more and more new investigators, so that's awesome! We also have been working on less active or inactive members and getting them to go to church! Yesterday we had one in active family come to sacrament meeting! I was so happy to see them!! 

 

Some how my companion and I have been ropped into the primary program and will be singing the second verse of I hope they call me on a mission... BY OURSELVES!!! yeah I'm a little nervous, but it should be really fun! I feel like the members of the ward are finally starting to trust us and are letting us know about there non member friends so we can go baptize them!

 Because we were white washed into the area we have only taught two lessons.... this sucks but its ok cause it leaves soooo much time for tracting! Which turns out to be one of my favorite things to do! Its so fun going and talking to random strangers and teaching them about how they can live with there families forever and how they can draw closer to our Heavenly Father. Because of all the tracting we have a lot of return appointments, so by the end of this week we should be teaching about 7 investigators, hopefully! The people here are so ready to hear about the gospel and learn more of Christ.

 

One of them is named Shane Aouto. He is poly and is 20. When we met him he was sitting in his garage watching TV and smoking weed, ha ha so he was fun to talk to! I asked him to put it out, luckily he agreed and then we started to talk to him about the Book of Mormon and the first vision, the spirit there was so amazing! I know that he felt it because he started to tear up on 1 Nephi 1:1. He told us that he has been looking for some one to teach him how to have a relationship with God and how to become a better person! Score!!!! ha ha. I truly love Shane and want to baptize him so that he can have a better relationship with God and have the Holy Ghost all the time! He is amazing! We have apointment with him in about 3 hours so hopefully that will be good! 

 

But the bike situation..... well let me tell you a story of a bike named "Green Lantern" The awesome bike came from Walmart. (first mistake) It worked like a champ the first week! and I loved it! But like all good things it had to end.... By the 10th day of its awesome life the chain would fall of constantly... by the 13th day it became so bad that while I was turning sharply and was putting all my weight on the right side (second mistake) and then the chain fell off!!! so I ate it... HARD!!!!!! It sucked so bad!!! And then the gear shift on the right side broke and that was the end of the green lantern... But now I have a awesome new one! A little nicer and bigger thank goodness. But its a sweet black and yellow one, so I named it Bumble Bee! Just for you Lucas! So thanks for helping me out, it was really stressful to try and figure that whole situation out but every thing is good now!

 

Well I hope everything is going well with you and you are doing ok!

 

Miss and love you all!

 

Elder Garrett

He Is In California!!

Hey Everyone, this is Ashley.  I know its been a while since we've heard from Elder Garrett but he has been super busy.  He has been in California for a week now, he is currently in Bakersfield.  I got an email from him today saying that he just sent a letter so hopefully in a couple of days I'll have a letter to post to let you all know how his is doing. 

Hey Family and Friends!

Well the teaching is improving! I have been able to answer questions the investigator asks and have been a lot more confident.  My district is amazing! They have become more and more like my family here, because that all I really have here.

I ran into Sister McCloskey and Bishop Burr and (Karissa) Sister Bosco. Its really nice to see friendly faces that you recognize here. Grandma and Grandpa Pierson sent me a cake! My district says thanks and don't be afraid to send more! Haha! It was really nice to hear about Elder Griner and how he is doing! I know he is doing amazing at teaching and spreading the good word!

Dad, I was sorry to hear about your surgery, but hopefully now you'll be able to feel your hand. Haha. Thanks for sending my laundry bag cause I was in trouble if I didn't have it.  The box of goodies was quickly gone due to all of the 19 and 20 year olds here.

I can't believe its been a week!!! The time is flying by now and its really nice.They told me that I need a haircut which is crazy cause I just cut it two weeks ago!  Its weird to say but I got my travel itinerary today. I leave October 3rd, I fly into LAX then I fly to Santa Barbara Airport from there. There is a district that lives down the hall that is going to Ventura on the 3rd as well.  I've become close with two of them, Elder Ballard and Elder Alo.  Elder Ballard is from North Carolina and has a sick accent! I love him! So all around the MTC is getting better!

Love you all!!!
Elder Garrett

Taking Elder Garrett To The MTC

Last lunch before the MTC....Costa Vida!

LOVE this picture!

Hugs to last for 2 years

Dear Family and Friends,

The MTC is really fun! It is really stressfull and rewarding at the same time! I'm so amazed of the spirit here. It seems like i have been here for ages!!!!!!!!!! but its been five days.... so im praying it goes by faster! I'm in a hurry so i am just going to send you a short email here.

I have been amazed of the brotherhood and the friendship that I have felt. I'm so happy that I made the choice to serve! This place is so peacefull and I'm so happy all the time. My companions are really cool. Please write me some more dear elders or letters cause it is such a blessing. Well I will have more time next Tuesday to email!

I love you all so much!

Elder Garrett

The First Letter!!!

The MTC is amazing! Its really hard but good. My companions are Elder Brinkerhoff and Elder Tate.  Elder Brinkerhoff is from Mapelton and Elder Tate is from Grantsville.  My teachers, Brother Larsen and Brother Baheshte, are the best! They have this spirit around them that is so great, it allows us to feed of there's to work harder. My district is my family now! Its weird to say but I love them all so much all ready.  My companion, Elder Brinkerhoff, is our district leader so I get the mail first!

WRITE ME!!!!!!!!

I miss you all so much! 

Love, Elder Garrett

Side Note From Ashley: You can write Blake at dearelder.com and its free while he is in the MTC or you can write him at;

Elder Garrett

MTC Mailbox 157

CA-VEN 1003

2005 N. 900 E.

Provo, UT 84604

I will be posting pictures of the day he went to the MTC soon. :)

VENTURA, CALIFORNIA!

Blake has been called to serve in the California, Ventura mission! We are all so proud of him and really happy for him. He will be entering the MTC on September 14th.

 

















Follow this blog to get updates on Elder Garrett.  I will be posting during the next 3 months as he is getting ready to leave and while he is on his mission I will be posting letters and pictures.  So check back regularly.