A Note About Letters and Some Pictures

 I find out if I get transferred next Monday, I will most likely be transferred. So when you send me a letter, send it to the MISSION OFFICE!

Have any of you seen "Just Go With It" with Adam Sandler? "Devlin" is from that movie, its one of Elder Garrett's favorites! 

Letter from January 30th

Hey Family!!!

 

Well its been a ok week, Elder Wenz got sick and I had to go to all the appointments with another Elder. It was weird being in charge of the lessons and I know that I really learned from that. But on a side note I set two of those investigators with a date. It was really fun but it was also really stressful. It was good!

 

But this week has also been a really frustrating as well. Our investigator Mark Martinez didn't pass his baptismal interview. He didn't feel that being baptized in this church is right, but he knows that the Book of Mormon is true and that Joseph Smith opened the last dispensation and that President Monson is a prophet of God. Its really wierd that he feels that way and doesn't want to be baptized. Its frustrating but I know the Lord is trying to teach him something and trying to teach me as well. But Pierce Martinez, his brother is getting baptized! He is so awesome. I'm so excited to see him take upon the name of Christ, I know that he is making the right choice and that he is going to receive so many blessings! He is being Baptized on Saturday at 10am! Its going to be so good.

 

Im doing great and I hope all of you are doing great!

 

 

AND WADE,  HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!! I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!!

 

Love, Elder Garrett

 

 

Letter from January 23rd

Hey family!!!!!

 

Hows the snow!!!!???? ha ha ha ha its great here in California!

 

Last week Elder W. Craig Zwick came to our mission. He was pretty dang intense, it was really great. He talked about change and how we all need to be better. I'm pretty sure that I have a lot to change and become better! He talked about the doctrine of Christ and how we all need to be aligned with it or our life doesn't have direction. And the he promised all the missionaries in the room the coolest thing in the world. That all of us in that room would be married in the temple and that we would be married for life and eternity! So yeah that was pretty intense! 

 

We had a great week! Elder Wenz and I are working hard! We have been teaching a lot of people and really helping them come closer to Jesus Christ. And the way we have been doing it is telling them to read the Book of Mormon! That book chnges lifes and performs miracles.

 

One of our investigators, Mark, has been reading the Book of Mormon non stop for two months! He just barely started over again. We asked him what the book has done for him and he said first off it makes me happier and second off it lets me know what I need to do in this life, and third it is a awesome story!!! It was the best answer ever. Elder Wenz and I were so blessed to find him and be able to teach him! We have noticed the change in him and the change is great, he is smiling more and he is excited to be baptized on February 4th. We are also teaching his little brother Pierce who is 14. He has been to church a lot before and told us that he knows that the church is true and that the Book of Mormon is of Jesus Christ and that he has been waiting for a while for the opportunity to be baptized to come up. I don't understand why the Lord is blessing Elder Wenz and I so much but I'm extremely grateful for it!

 

Yesterday at church I really came to feel the power of the Sacrament. Its so important for us to take it, and allow the power of the Atonement to work on us and make it possible for us to feel clean. After I took the sacrament I felt that relief and that burden lifted of my chest. I'm so grateful for Jesus Christ and his influence on me.

 

Well I miss you all so dang much and I know that you miss me right??? ha ha 

 

I'm going to be sending some letters today hopefully!

 

Love Elder Garrett

Letter from January 16th

Hey family,

 

Well this week was a long one.. not really I slept for most of it. I had strep throat! It was so bad. But the work still got done some how. We taught just as many lessons as we would when i wasnt sick it was a miracle for sure!

 

This week we set two more people with a baptismal date. The first one is Liz Flores, she is a freind of a young man in the ward. He started bringing her to church around Thanksgiving but Elder Wenz and I thought that she was already a member!! Ha ha it was funny, but we set her to Jan 28th! Hopefully it will go through though cause she is 18 and still living at home and her mom and step dad aren't really happy that she wants to be baptized. They told her that she will have to move out if she is baptized. Its kind of a rough situation, but the Lord will help her through it for sure.

 

The second one we set with a date is Pierce, he is Mark's younger brother (14) who had been to church before! We asked him last night if he wanted to sit in on the lesson, he said sure and then we asked him some questions to get to know him. Turns out he has wanted to be baptized for a while but didn't really know how to go about it. Then he asked a question about the prophet. So we taught him that principle. He said all of that made sense, so we asked him right there if he would follow the example of Jesus Christ and be baptized by some one holding the priesthood authority of God. It was so intense! He accepted and now he is going to be baptized with his brother mark on Feb 4th!! Its going to be such a good day!!

 

We also taught this kid named Josh, he is 18 and still in high school. We taught him about the gospel of Jesus Christ and how following would be the best choice he ever will make. He said he could see how there would be blessings by following it. So we invited him to be baptized on Feb 25th. But he said he can't commit to something he really isn't sure of yet. So we focused on the Book of Mormon and how that is the way he would find out for sure that this is Heavenly Father's true church on the earth today. So we committed him to read and pray about the book. So I know he will want to be baptized cause that book is so true!!!

 

Life with Elder Wenz is great, he really is amazing. He is teaching me so much and we are teaching well together. We get along great he is for sure one of my best friends. I'm truly blessed to be his companion!

 

Well family, I love you all and miss you tons!! Hope everything is going great!!!!

 

Elder Garrett

A Letter and Some Pictures!

HOLA FAMILY!!!!

Well well well its Monday again! I can't believe it...

This week since Elder Wenz is now a district leader we go on exchanges with everyone in our district. There are 6 elders in our district.

I had the opportunity to go with Elder Harlow, he is only 2 weeks out... so he really didn't know much. It was a stressful day, but the Lord blessed us so much. We ended up teaching 5 other lessons and 2 less active lessons and had 12 declarations (when we share the gospel with some one and commit them to something) it was a heck of a day. It was fun leading all of the lessons and helping Elder Harlow learn and grow.

But the saddest thing happened... Mark didn't come to church, so he lost his baptismal date. But he is still really interested and is reading the Book Of Mormon, he is already in Alma 34. Its ridiculous.. We taught him about tithing and he offered to write me a check, it was funny. But we are going to set him with another date tonight. January 28th hopefully.

Well I'm sure everything at home is going great. I sure miss you all, this last week I have really learned how to rely on the Savior. And I gained a testimony that he really is there to help us if we just put our trust in Him and have enough faith.

It was a really good week! We started teaching another girl who is 18 and she has been coming to church for about two months but she just barely felt ready to meet with us. She is great he name is Liz and has been reading the Book of Mormon non stop since she got it. We asked her if she wants to be baptized on Jan 28th, she said she needs to pray about it. But that was fine with me cause she is turning to Heavenly Father about it. And I trust Him for sure!

Well I love you all so so much and hope that you are doing well.

Love Elder Garrett

PS enjoy the Pictures.

 

Happy New Year!

Hey Family!!

 

 

Saturday was the best day of my mission! Nancy was baptized, she is so awesome! Right before she went into the water she started crying, she has been waiting for so long to be baptized, it was such a touching moment. She was confirmed on Sunday and she asked me and Elder Wenz if we would stand in on the confirmation. She gave a talk in sacrament meeting about baptism, she bore her testimony at the end of her talk and the spirit was so strong! I'm so grateful for her and the impact that she has on so many people.

 

Mark finally came to church! He was there to hear Nancy's talk. He said that he loved it and that he was excited to come back next week! He is so funny, he was commenting in gospel principles, Bishop came up to him and asked if he was a member already cause Mark was talking about the plan of salvation in depth, he said no, but the missionaries are teaching me it and I believe its true! I almost cried I was so happy!

 

But I'm so grateful for the chance to be with Elder Wenz for another transfer! He is amazing and is teaching me tons. I truly love him and I know that the Lord put us together so that he could teach me how to be a better missionary! I'm having so much fun right now and the work in our area is going great.

 

Oh and we got a car for a little bit cause the sisters in the area got transferred out for some reason.  Since Elder Wenz is still hurt he can't drive the car, so I get to DRIVE!! Its so cool. It was wierd at first, but its all good now.

 

Hope you all had a great New year and you didn't party too hard.  I went to bed at ten, what a way to welcome 2012 right???

 

Love you all so much,

Elder Garrett