24 December 2012

Hello family,

Let’s start off with ... I'M SO EXCITED TO TALK TO YOU TOMORROW !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Also this email may be really short because I’m talking to you tomorrow ... so don’t be too mad at me!!

This week was really good!!  We worked hard.  We tracted a lot ... it’s fun in some areas but it hasn’t been that fun here!!  I guess just a different type of people.  But we still got in a few doors and taught a few lessons. 

Things with Amanda are going great!  The wheels are turning and we are gonna get her baptized soon!  She came to the Christmas devotion the ward put on and met a lot of members. She fit in and was really out going, it was a really good night last night. 

Things with the Elizabeth are the same.  She is still trying to quit.  We have been going over the lessons and trying to help her understand the doctrine.  We have really been focusing on coming unto Christ and helping her come closer to Him.  That way when she does quit she will be so ready for baptism.

So the other day we went to dinner at this family who have been here since like 1920.  So we started talking about where our family comes from and the name Nixon came up.  They were so excited, they asked me if I knew a ROBERT NIXON.  I told them that I live down the road from him and that he is my great uncle.  Then they started talking about aunt Myrine, how she was a Kemp before she married Uncle Bob and how they were cousins to the kemps.  So I ate dinner with a relative the other day.  The member we ate with was Karl Haws.  Such a small world, I guess Uncle Bob served in the branch (before it was a ward).  I’m serving in the same ward as Uncle Bob did!  So cool.

Well family I love you and hope you are doing well. MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!!  I will talk to you soon!

Love

Elder Garrett

17 December 2012

Hey!!!!

How are you all doing???

So things here are great!!  We have had a lot of fun and worked really hard to try and help as many people as possible.  We did a lot of service and also did a lot of knocking doors ... But it was worth it and it was a learning experience for sure!!!

Friday we had a zone conference, the focus was on how well the mission is doing and the successes we have had the past few months! It was really nice to hear and see all the great things that are going on. I also heard about one of my converts from President Castro.   Apparently she spoke at a zone conference in Bakersfield and said that she is now working on serving a mission.  Her year mark of being a member is in February so it is coming up really soon that she can leave!  It was really humbling to hear about that.  It gave me a whole lot more motivation to go out and help as many people as possible!!!

The part member family we have been working with, the Pinkhams, they finally came to church yesterday!!!  And I guess it was the non member husbands idea to come!!  He went out and bought a new tie and everything for it!!  I was really excited to see him and it turned out to be a really good sacrament meeting, about the atonement, and the primary kids sang Christmas songs! 

Amanda is doing really well, we met with her and her husband last Tuesday, the husband wanted to meet with us and asked us to come over, so I was kinda worried he was gonna get mad and ask us not to come back but ... he listened to the restoration and was participating in the lesson and was asking questions!!!  So we are now teaching both her and her husband David.  It was a miracle!  The fellowship we brought just fit in perfectly and they hit it off right away!  I love when the Lord prepares his people to receive the gospel!

Last night we had a dinner at our 2nd Counselor's in the bishopric house.  He has a priest age son who is really cool and is getting ready for a mission.  He asked us if he could go out with us last night and talk to people.  It was funny to see him try to talk to people and share the gospel.  But he did really well for his first time!  It was cool to be part of that and see him get excited about going on a mission!

Well family things are going so well!!!  I’m having a lot of fun and I can’t wait to talk to you in a week!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Love 

Elder Garrett

10 December 2012

Hello,

This week was a good week!!!  We had a lot of success and met some really nice people.  It was a week of miracles and blessings for sure!

The first blessing was that we had a great lesson with Elizabeth about repentance and forgiveness.  I feel like she sometimes feels like she is in a hole and can’t get out of it, so we talked about Christ’s role in her life and how to use him more.  So she really liked it and was happy that we taught her about it.  She is still doing great on quitting smoking and soon will just be done with it all.

We got a referral from the MTC, her name is Amanda, apparently the church has been popping up a lot.  She has a lot of Mormon friends in SLC and they are all praying for her and trying to help her.  So I guess Amanda called SLC and told them to send the missionaries over.  The next day we were at her door and talking to her.  We set up an appointment at the church with our ward missionary.  We met with her and she started talking about how she already has a testimony and wants to be baptized again.  It was really spiritual and great!  So we set her with a date for January 5th but it will most likely will be sometime before that.  She was recently married I guess and when we showed up the husband was kinda confused why two guys were looking for his wife... haha   But apparently he wants to meet with us now and learn what his wife is learning about now!!  It’s been a big miracle and a blessing.

We went tracting yesterday and this guy named Clause let us in.  He was talking about Jimmy Hendricks and how he may be a prophet... It was interesting and he cursed like a sailor! haha  But we still taught him the restoration and tried to help him understand about Christ and how he really is the son of God. We shared a lot about the Book of Mormon and how he can really gain a testimony through reading and prayer.

I have noticed that being a missionary is just like being on a roller coaster there are so many ups and downs, more downs the ups but the Lord will always bring you up!!  It’s been a lot of fun learning and growing, I’m finally starting to feel comfortable being a missionary and teaching people!  It’s nice!!

Well family I love you all and hope that things are good with you!!

Elder Garrett

3 December 2012

Hello family,

This week it rained and rained and rained some more! haha. I’m usually ok with the rain but since we are on bikes it kinda sucks, but it’s all part of the two years I guess!

It’s been a really fun week though, it’s really nice to have a companion that I don’t have to stress about getting along with or what he is doing. We get along really well and we are getting the work done at the same time, that’s when the work gets fun and miracles happen!

We met a lot of interesting people this week, one was a JW who just wanted to bash with us the whole time, so we shared some scriptures and helped her learn about JESUS CHRIST and who He really is.  It was good!  We ended up seeing her later that day while walking down a street and she was happy to see us!  It’s always nice to meet people of other faiths and see what they believe.

We are still working with this part-member family, this time when we taught the husband non-member we shared some scriptures from the bible that really helped him see why we all should be part of Christ’s church and how to find out what church really is His!  He loved the scriptures and understood them.  I really love that family and want them to be in this gospel together and hope that it happens sooner than later.

We are still helping Elizabeth to stop smoking. She is doing well and is progressing in the gospel.  I love teaching her because she just understands everything we teach her so well!  I don’t think I’ve met someone who has such a strong faith in Christ.

Well family I love you all and was so excited to hear about Olive and Jordan’s blessing!!!!!

I love you I love I love you 

Elder Garrett

26 November 2012

Hey family!!!

So transfers happened ... I’m still going to be here in Santa Barbara, Elder Hofheins is leaving.  My new companion is Elder Tincher!  He is really cool, I have known him since the MTC.  I’m so excited to be companions with him!  Things here are going to start to pick up and work is going to get done!!!  Something cool is that Elder Wenz was in the same home stake as Elder Tincher, small world!

This week we just talked to every one!  It was really fun to just be bold with every one and tell them about the restored gospel of Jesus Christ!  We met some really interesting people who actually listened! What a blessing.  I’m hoping some of the people will let us come back, hopefully!

We are working with this lady named Elizabeth, she used to smoke two packs a day but now we have her down to 3/4 of a pack!!!  She is doing great!  It is so fun teaching her about Christ and what he can do for her an actually see the miracles happen!  She is doing great and soon will be done smoking and will be able to get baptized!

Thanksgiving was so great, we had one dinner one Thursday at this huge house, needless to say it was good.  I felt kinda out of place cause it was so fancy!  But it was good.  Then on Saturday we ate another dinner at this part member families house.  We ate the NORBEST turkey and it was fantastic!  Thank you for the turkey dad, haha!  I really missed you all that day!

Things are going great, I love you all and hope things are going well with you!

Love Elder Garrett

PS ... You all should write me some letters!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!