29 April 2013

Hello family!

How are you????

It was a good week.  We saw a lot of people ... mostly on their door step ... but it was all good! 

The miracle for this week is someone in our ward brought a family to church!!!  It was awesome, we were able to teach part of gospel principles and got to know them better, they seemed to like us and hopefully they trust us too!  We asked them if we could come by and talk to them more about the church, they said yes!!!! I was really excited about it.  After church the dad of the new family came up and told me they were looking for a church and they liked the feeling they felt at ours ... I was almost in shock!!  So I taught him a little about the spirit and what he was feeling. He is really excited about us coming by and talking with his family!  I think it is him and his wife and two kids.

Yesterday was a farewell for one of the youth in our ward.  He was always going out with us and teaching with us.  He also was in our mission prep class that we teach every Thursday so we had become really close to him as he was getting ready to go.  It was really special to see him give his farewell talk and bare testimony so powerfully.  There was a sister leaving as well and she was going to our mission prep class too!  It is really cool to see kids want to serve and take steps to prepare ... I wish I would have prepared better!

I’m sorry to hear about Kate ... I will be praying for her. LOVE YOU KATE!!!!!!!!!!!

Family I love you and miss you all so much ... I’m sorry that my emails are so short and aren't that great but every day is the same so I only tell you about the new stuff that is going on!! 

Elder Garrett

22 April 2013

Another week done!

This week went by really fast!  I’m not even sure why cause the work was really, really slow!!! It’s kinda frustrating but it’s all good.  I’m still doing good!!! 

We taught a lot of less actives this week ... which is always fun!!!!  And really boring at the same time haha. We taught this one lady who had a lot of cats!!!  One of them just had kittens like a week ago so we got to play with them, that was fun!  We took out this kid who is leaving on his mission in a week to Bulgaria, I’m so glad that I got called to California!!!!!!

I don’t really know what to tell you other than that ... It was a hard week!  Oh we did a lot of service for people, we cleared out this 2 acre field for this old couple, we moved a giant jungle gym, and then we helped clean up an apartment!!  It was a lot of fun!  I love service.  Oh yeah we laid tile too!!  That is really hard work! 

MOTHERS DAY IS COMING UP!!!! I’m so excited to call!!!  We will set up times later on but I just wanted to remind you that its coming up so be ready hahaha.

Oh Romeo passed the sacrament for the first time yesterday!!!  It was really special to see.  So far on the mission I think seeing someone that I have helped come to this gospel use the priesthood is probably my favorite thing.  I have been able to see some really amazing miracles and that was definitely one of them! 

Well family I miss you a lot and sorry this email really sucks but nothing to cool really happened except for Romeo passing the sacrament.

I had good week though :)

Love you all!!!!!!!!

Elder Blake Garrett

Romeo's baptism

15 April 2013

Hello family!!!

Well Saturday Romeo got baptized and it was amazing!!!!  There were tons of people at the baptism!!  To make it even better there were a lot of nonmembers at the baptism!!!!!  During the baptism I gave the talk on the Holy Ghost, it was fun teaching a room full of nonmembers about the spirit and how to receive it!  It turns out that Romeo’s cousin lives down the street from him and loves our church and now is interested in taking the lessons so hopefully this week we will start teaching her and her 5 kids (all above the age of 8).  I love when miracles happen from baptisms!!  OHHH and yesterday not only did Romeo get the gift of the Holy Ghost but he received the priesthood and was ordained a deacon!!!  It was a special day :)

President’s interviews went really well, he made a good point about if I stay until September I will be part of history with the splitting and start of a new mission and that the Lord needs the missionaries that he has called to be here when he does this.  It gave me a lot of comfort and hope in it all.

Other than that things are good ... it is supposed to snow here today ...  I’m not too happy about that at all!!  Everyone is good, the Careys are doing so well and loving church!!!!  It’s been awesome to see them progress and come unto Christ as a family!!!!  This area has been a place of miracles and I’m really grateful that I was here to see so many great things!!! 

Well family I am really sorry this is short but I don’t know what else to tell you ... I LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Miss you tons

Elder Garrett

8 April 2013

Hey,

How is everything back home?

I’m sorry if you all though it was a April fools joke ... but I really will be coming home now on September 11th.  I didn’t realize that it was April first when I sent it!  my bad haha.

Romeo passed his baptismal interview Saturday, he is all set to get baptized this Saturday!!!!  I’m really excited about it.  The elder that interviewed him said that he was the most prepared person he has ever seen and he answered all the questions the best he has seen.  It was really cool to see the smile on Romeo’s face when he came out of the interview.  I could tell that he has really wanted this for a long time.  I’m really glad that I get to be a part of this blessing in his life and really humbled to be here for it.

So conference was really good!!!  I really liked priesthood session, after it the members came up to us and asked us what they could do to be better missionaries. It was AMAZING!  I really hope they meant it and do something about it.  I love when the apostles tell members to do missionary work, especially when I’m a missionary, because I don’t feel guilty because I’m already doing missionary work and because it makes the work easier!!!!  haha

This week we have president’s interviews.  I’m really excited because we don’t really get them that often.  It has been like 7 months since we have had them last.  They are always good though we just don’t have them often enough.  Oh we found out who the mission president of the Bakersfield mission is going to be, it is President James Michael Wilson from Cedar City.  He will come in July 31st, so we have a while before we find out what mission we will be in.

Well I miss you a lot and I am glad that I am part of this family :)

Elder Blake Garrett

1 April 2013

So this week was good!

We taught Romeo a lot because it was spring break and he was here with his mom. So we covered everything!!!  We taught him the restoration, the plan of salvation, the gospel of Jesus Christ, and all of the commandments!!!  It was really cool to see how fast he understood it all!  He really is prepared and really willing to actually keep commitments!!!!!!  Then his mom, Sister Scott told us that she has another child who is nine and she wants us to teach her and baptize her!!!  We just need to get the permission slip signed by her dad.  This family is amazing!!!

It’s been really nice to stay in an area longer than two transfers and actually get to know the area and the people.  It has been amazing to see the connection I have made with the people here!  I love them so much!!  I want to stay in this area until I go home!!!

Last night we ate dinner with our bishop and most of his family.  It was a lot of fun to be around a big family who had a lot of little kids!!  I almost felt like I was home for Easter but not quite!!! The bishop also told us how good of a job we are doing here, it was a good feeling to be complemented by the bishop!

Scott blessed the sacrament yesterday!!!!  He didn't mess up at all!!!!!!!!  It was probably one of the most special moments I have had on the mission this far!  To see someone that I helped come unto the gospel use the power of God to bless other people’s lifes was incredible!!!!  It was a big testimony builder to me!!!

Well family I miss you all so much and love you a lot!!!!  I hope you had a great Easter!!!! 

Elder Garrett

Scott's Baptism

Scott's family