HELLLLOOOOOO!   Another week is gone ... I can’t believe it!   There is definitely a difference here on the coast. People are set in their ways and don’t want to hear that they need to change. But to some extent I know that everyone hates being told that they need to change. Especially when it comes from a twenty year old kid right!? ha ha.   This week Elder Lehnhart and I got sick. We must have caught the flu or something cause we couldn’t stay out of the bathroom. It was frustrating not being able to go out and talk to people but the rest was well needed!   Since we don’t really have too many investigators yet, we have been working on less actives ... always fun!!! But they are really nice people and we have reactivated one of them so far. Hopefully we will continue having some success there.   Yesterday for dinner we ate over at a member’s house. It was right on the beach and had a patio on top of the house. We got to eat up there and watch the waves and the harbor and the sunset, it was way cool to see!!!! During dinner the member started talking about golf and golfing with Tom Watson and Jack and Daly, it took me a second to actually comprehend what he was saying but once I did ... oh boy   I said "Hold on. What? You golfed with professional golfers?" He said "Yes." So I asked him "Where?" He said "Augusta." I yelled "WHAT, YOU PLAYED AT THE MASTERS???"  It was so cool! He showed me all the pictures of it and the golf ball he used on 18. Then he showed me an invitation from Augusta Country Club asking him to come play in the par 3 tournament! It was so awesome. Kind of sad but that was one of the coolest parts of my week.    Oh and I forgot to tell you all, on March 10, 2012, I will have the great privilege of hearing from an Apostle of God! (one of the twelve)  It is not normal that we get a visit from an apostle in March, so I’m kinda scared but way excited to hear from Elder L Tom Perry!    I’m not really sure what else to write. We have just been doing a lot of tracting ... a lot of tracting ... so hopefully that helps out the teaching pool a little bit! Oh and I’m going on a Spanish exchange on Wednesday! I can’t wait, I love trying to speak Spanish. ha ha.    Anyways I love you all!!!   Elder Garrett 

  HEY FAMILY!!!   Sorry I didn’t email you yesterday, we had a zone conference and me being myself I forgot to let you all know! Sorry . . .   So in my new area, we cover two wards - Oxnard Second and Oxnard Fourth wards. It is way different to cover two wards, but oh well. Everyone is way nice so far though. It’s cool to see wherever you go there is always someone who you can connect with just because you have the same faith in Jesus Christ.   My companion, Elder Lenhart, is way cool. He is goof ball! He is always laughing at something which is good because it gets way boring if you are with someone who doesn’t like to laugh and have fun. It definitely makes the days go by faster. But it’s always hard getting use to someone new.   Well it was a good week!! Last Saturday Luana was baptized! The baptismal service was a very spiritual experience and I’m very grateful to have been there. I am very blessed to have been here to see her make that covenant with the Lord and take part in her receiving the Holy Ghost. Other than that this week has been a slow one. The areas we have need a lot of work and I know that Elder Lenhart and I are supposed to be here to find the people who are in need of the gospel. It is very humbling to know that the Lord has trusted me to watch over this part of His vineyard.   Yesterday in our zone conference, President said that the Lord equals us for the task. It made me realize that the Lord is always watching over us and it is up to us to make sure that we are ready for what the Lord requires of us.  He will always make us equal to the task that He has given us. I also had the great opportunity to teach with President Castro yesterday. It was a practice situation, but none the less very stressful! ha ha. Thank goodness I didn’t mess up to bad. It was for sure a learning experience. It went well :)   Well family I miss you all and I can’t believe it has been over 5 months!! Crazy, right? I hope everything is well with you and I love you all!!!!!!!   Elder Garrett  

HELLO!!!!   How are all of you doing???   I'm doing great! Oxnard is a very beautiful place! Sometimes I actually forget that I'm on a mission and not on a vacation! It's way cool to see the ocean and the palm trees!   So like I said last week my new companions name is Elder Lenhart. He is from Lehi and is pretty cool! It's wierd getting to know a new companion. But thats all part of this mission thing I guess.   My new area is really dead there isn't much going on. Its a little different because we cover two wards but thats ok. Just more stuff that we can do right? But something really exciting is that we have a baptism on Saturday! Her name is Luana Meyer. She is way cool and very spiritual. The missionaries that started teaching her set her with a date on Feb 25th. But there was really no need in waiting another week because she was so ready when I got here so Elder Lenhart and I bumped it up to Feb 18th!    But like I said earlier these areas are slow and I'm not really used to it anymore. I know that we can turn it around with the Lord's help but its going to be a lot of work. It's going to be fun but stressful. Its going to be alot of knocking doors and talking to every one! I'm excited! We already found a new investigator whose name is Ed. He is way sweet he has been shot twice in the head! And says that he knows God saved him for a reason! He is so ready to recive the gospel.   So there is this less active member in our ward who has had some problems with alcohol. We were at his roomates for dinner and he came in drunk. The drunk guy started crying and was mumbling "I need you Jesus". Me being new to the area had no clue what was really going on. But it turns out that he had been sober for 12 years prior and he started drinking again two weeks ago. He then looked at me and said I need the gospel to save me. And asked his roomate for a Priesthood blessing. It was a very spiritually powerful blessing filled with comfort and warmth. The guy who has a problem with drinking agreed to meet with us every other day to take the lessons and agreed to come to church every week. So yesterday he showed up to church and tonight we are going over to his house to give him the lessons so that he can come closer to Christ! That night was so life changing for me. To see someone so far gone that has nothing else turn to Christ and rely on His priesthood. I'm so so thankful to be here to help him with this and I'm honored to do so.   This mission so far has changed my life and I would not trade it for anything in the world! I've come to know the Savior more and I have gained a realationship with Him. And seeing the change in people just baffles me....   I love you all so much and HAPPY VALINTINES DAY!!!!!!!!   Love Elder Garett

Well last Saturday we had a baptism!!! Pierce Martinez! He is a stud. It was a very spiritual experience! After he came up out of the water he was out of breath and didn't really know how to describe how he was feeling. He told me that he felt better than anything else that he has felt in his life. It was so cool to be here from the start of his teaching to the day of his baptism and confirmation. I am not really sure how to explain how I felt! When he was confirmed a member and was given the gift of the Holy Ghost, that was the most spiritual moment I have ever had in my life. The spirit was there!!! Elder Wenz and I also worked really hard this week and we set another person with a date and have been working with the people who already have dates. They are all so great and I know that they are taking the steps they need to do to follow Jesus Christ. Its really cool to see the difference in people when they follow Christ's example. These past two weeks have been a real testimony builder, that this church is true! So transfers.... I'm leaving Bakersfield... it's really sad I have come to love this ward with all of my heart and I love the people that we are teaching.... But I am going to OXNARD!! On the coast. Its going to be so dang cool. The bummer is that I'm going senior companion and I don't really know what I'm doing out here. I just found out that he has been out since may.... its kind of scary. His name is Elder Lanhart. Oh and Elder Wenz is training! It's pretty cool. Well I love you all and hope that your having a good summer I mean winter!! ha Love Elder Garrett