28 May 2012

Hey family,

How’s it going?  I’m doing pretty good, Oxnard has perfect weather!!!!!! It’s always like 78 degrees, a little different than Utah huh? ha ha  I’m not looking forward to getting transferred to Bakersfield ( if I get transferred there) its already like 100 degrees and dusty there. 

Well this week was a really good week.  We had a lot of great success and we were able to teach a lot of people.  Things are going really well still, not gonna lie it’s kinda nice.  It’s a lot of hard work but its ok.  People are always willing to listen to us but most of the time they don’t really want to act on the things they learn.  But at least we are getting the message out right???  A lot of tracting, ALOT OF TRACTING!!  I really do like tracting though, there is nothing better than bugging people while they are watching the NBA playoffs, most of the time they will chose Christ over the playoffs but every once and a while they will pick the game..... sad right? But we are still knocking playoffs or not. 

We are still working with Ron and Robert, they are doing pretty well but they are still drinking a lot, but we committed them to stop drinking as much as they were, so we will see how that goes. Oh and we set Robert with a date for July 7th.  He has neuropathy and is scared to get into the water but we will help him get over that fear with faith in Christ.

We picked up a former investigator named Christian who at once had a date, the date is June 23rd.  He is really excited and now he really is ready for the covenant of baptism.  He is 18 and is about to graduate from high school.  It was a very powerful lesson, the spirit was really there to testify to him about the truth and how he really needs to follow Jesus Christ.  I’m really excited about it!!!

We found this new guy named Joseph and we taught him the restoration.  During the lesson he said that he has been talking with his friend about how there were too many churches and too much confusion in this world now about religion.  He told us to come back Sunday and teach him and his family about the restoration.  So we will see how that goes.

I’m doing great here in CALIFORNIA!!!

Love you so much and miss you tons!

Elder Garrett

With Matthew at baptism (sorry I rotated it but can't get it right here)

Pday hike - Elder Haws in Jimmer shirt

22 May 2012

HEY!!!!!

Well sorry I didn’t email you yesterday, we had zone conference and it went ALLLLLL day.  It was really fun though, other than that it was an AMAZING week.

Elder McCracken and I have been working really hard to find new people to teach and new people to BAPTIZE!!!  So we worked really hard and we saw results (knocking A LOT of DOORS).  It was really nice to see how hard work pays off.  It may not be right away but success will come to those who are faithful and willing to do what is needed.

It all started off with my exchange with Elder Haws, we had a great planning session and that really set the tone for how the day was going to be.  Then we had a great study and then we went to work!!!  First we were going to have to go to a certain street but I accidentally went to the wrong street, but we got out and tried to talk to people.  We ended up having two lessons and finding a really solid potential investigator there.

Then we went to the next name we had down, that street was on fire.  We had three lessons and found 4 NEW investigators there.  We found Robert and Ron and Glen and Lisa.  Robert now has a date for June 30th and he is doing great.  He struggles with reading but he really wants to learn.  Ron has neuropathy or else he would have accepted the invite, he can’t walk too well and is afraid of going down stairs.  But we are working on him showing his faith in Christ and taking the plunge!!

Then we got a referral from a member and we went over with him to teach her, she willingly accepted an invite to be baptized and is reading from the Book of Mormon.  It is a complete miracle and she is progressing really well.  Her name is Kari Tran.  We teach her every Thursday night now, she LOVES the Book of Mormon and is so excited to be baptized.

Well family I will try to send you pictures of Matthew’s baptism and some other random ones!!!!

I love you all and I’m glad to hear your doing so well.

Love Elder Garrett

7 May 2012

HELLO -

Well it’s been a busy, busy week. 

Elder McCracken is great, he is from Burley, Idaho.  He has been out for 5 months now but he knows his stuff so that’s nice!

Matthew Marsico was baptized on Friday night at 7:30.  I was able to baptize him, let me tell you there have been only a few spiritual moments that add up to that one.  I can’t even describe the feelings I had during that short period of time.  But mostly I was just humbled that Matthew chose me to perform the ordinance and that his parents, Michelle and Mario, allowed me to do it. I have really come to love that family and I’m so excited for them as they progress in the gospel.  After the baptism Mario came up to me and gave me a hug and said thank you for baptizing my son. That moment the spirit was so strong, I will always love that family for sure.

Then Saturday night we had a luau!! It was a tri ward activity and there were tons of people there!  We invited so many people but of course none of them came!  But we had fun any way, there was a band and a hula contest and then there was an auction.  It seemed like people bought cakes and desserts and just decided that they really didn’t want them so they pawned it of on us! Now we have tons of stuff sitting at the apartment so we are going to try to give it to some other missionaries.

Then on Sunday Matthew was confirmed and given the gift of the Holy Ghost!!!!  He was so happy after it. That kid is going to be a great missionary one day, he already shares the Book of Mormon with his friends, crazy right?? I don’t even remember what I was doing when I was ten, but I know I wasn’t sharing the gospel yet! ha ha.

So it sounds like everyone is doing great!!!

Dad good job on your test!!!!!

Cory good luck at school!!

Everyone else keep on keepin on.

Love you all so much and talk to you SOON!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Love Elder Garrett