Wednesday, September 30 - Week 7

Hello Everyone!

So this week was zone conference and we had it yesterday which was our P day. So we moved our P day up to today. I was wondering if everyone was freaking out. Don't worry, I haven't forgot about my family...yet. Just kidding. Well like always I'll try and answer some questions I got in my letters. Thank you everyone for all the letters and the 2 packages you sent me and the 1 huge one that Jo sent. I had stuff coming to me all the time this week. Don't worry about my weight. It was only a couple pounds that I lost and its because I walk so much. But I'm pretty much maintaining my weight now and I try and stuff my face at dinner so I think my weight might be on the rise...just a little. The junk food is great though. I eat it at night if i have time. It all should last me to the end of this transfer.

Thanks for the pictures. I hung a few up in front of my desk of Mak and Isabelle and the Bailee and Rylin. I did the one of Belle and her birthday cake and I did the one with Mak kissing the twins. HOLY COW! The twins are so stinkin fat now. They have gotten to be little chunks since I saw them last. And I've only been out a month. I can't image what they will look like after two years.

Oh that Book of Mormon timeline is probably the best thing I have ever seen. I'm reading the BoM right now and I'm trying to get all the history and stories in order and I write it down in a notebook but that takes forever and that too is becoming confusing. So that timeline was the best. I haven't really checked out the bible one in the bible dictionary just because I haven't had much time. I'm good with books and highlighters, etc. I can just go buy some here if I need them too.

Hey mom you don't have to clean up my room. I did that before I left. Just shut the door and never go in there for another 23 months. Ah that's bad news about Toshio. I hope everything goes well for him. He would be a great missionary. He has always known more about the gospel than me ever since primary. Tell him he's in my prayers because that all I can do for him here. Its pretty tough for me being temporarily assigned and I think one of my greatest fears right now is that my visa will never go through. But everything that happens is the Lords will and he has a plan. That's what we need to remember.

So we have had no more success knocking on doors. I had this brilliant idea that we should make a lesson to go around to members houses and give a missionary lesson and show people how important it is to share the gospel with their friends, family, neighbors etc. We got two referrals from it so far. I visited one referral and we are going to do some service for her tomorrow. I think she is ready, she just doesn't know it yet.

No I have not had to speak or bear my testimony in sacrament yet. Dad you asked about studying. It is the best parts of my day. I love learning more and I feel more confident when I'm teaching. If I ever run into something I don't feel confident in, then the next day I study up on that. And ya there is a significant difference from the spirit in the mtc and the spirit in the real world. It was just there all the time in the mtc and then you get out here and you see all the crazy stuff that is going on and you know its not there. I'm trying to always keep it with me.

Glad you're working hard on Whits and Lynds houses dad. From everything you've done their houses are going to look totally different when I get home. So that's a bummer the U lost. K everyone here loves BYU. Its like if your Mormon you automatically like BYU. I think its weird and I tell everyone that's not the case in Utah. That's crazy Jano is coming home. He is probably home already. Tell him to give me his visa haha. Good work on the temple. That's 2 for 2 right. We got to go to the temple today. We can go once every quarter, or 2 transfers, or about 3 months. Its all the same. But ya I loved it today. There are 3 places I can relax. My sleep, the shower, and the temple.

So the weather here is getting a little colder. It still gets hot sometimes, but just in the past couple of days it has gotten colder in the mornings and at night. I think we'll have to wear suits full time soon. Wow it sounds like fun stuff is going on, on the Garrick side of the family. Tara and Kevin moving in to their house and Bonnie's shower. It all sound really fun and exciting. Hey hows lil scooter doing? If he is sad that there is no one to play with him then get a new dog to play with him. Or you play with him. We had a dinner with this family, the Rose's, and they had a little puppy Shizue (or however you spell it). It was brown and fat just like scooter.

Ya Lynds you asked about referrals for you guys. I can't think of anyone right now, but they are so much better. I heard that 1/1000 doors we knock a person gets baptized, but 600/1000 people get baptized when a friend gives the missionaries a referral and fellowships them. So ya its just a little difference. Jeff Nielson said that in the Band of Brothers. That's what we are really trying to do. Something you can do Lynds is get a piece of paper and write down some names, and then look over the list and pray about it. That's what we are having the members here do. I don't know if they have actually done it, but I know if you do it you will find someone. Haha

I'm glad you all like my living conditions. Ya I thought they were pretty bad at first but I'm used to it now. And our members are out of town so we have reign of the upstairs for about another week. Its good stuff. But ya i drink that water, Its clean unlike Indian water. I'm fine mom. So Burty is coming up soon. Hows Whit doing? Is she pretty big now? I am way excited for conference. It is like a missionary holiday. We don't have to go out for 2 days and we can just sit, relax, and hear from our great leaders of the church. I have been reading a few of the last conference talks from the Ensign you sent me. Uchtdorf is still the man. I love every talk he gives. That's crazy Bry quit. I have no reason to go back to AutoRx now, except that I need the money.

Hey dads raincoat is great. I'm going to use it. Hey Lynds thanks for all the pictures. I really do like them. I'm getting a whole stash of Makai, Bailee, and Rylin pictures. I can't believe Makai is so tall and skinny. Hey he's just like me. Welcome to the wonderful world of lurps Mak. That would be way funny too if he was buzz and the twins were the little aliens.

So ya I'll tell a little about my week. First crazy thing that happened was some guy came up and started yelling at us and saying all this false doctrine about our church. My comp snapped and he stood up and started yelling back and they were just going back and forth with things. So I tried to pull my comp away but he wouldn't leave. So I went around him, I told the crazy guy to have a good day and I shoved my comp towards the bus. Then we saw the crazy guy on the bus again the next day and he said, "Worship God not Joseph Smith" and he ran away. I told him that's exactly what we do as he was scurrying off. So ya that was fun. Like I said yesterday was zone conference. I learned a ton and I'm really going to try and apply the things I learned. It was mostly about following the spirit and pausing after someone says something to you, to really listen to what the spirit is telling you. Elder Smith (the AP, not my comp) said that I should try and get it down before I leave to India, because that would help me out a ton especially since non-Christians need to feel the spirit more than hear the doctrine. So that's my Washington Goal. There are many other things I'm trying to do right now to help my teaching skills and really help the people I teach. so ya that's pretty much it. I think we are going shopping for food pretty soon and then we might play some basketball. I love you all and I hope everyone is happy, healthy, and....good.

Love,
Elder Garrick

Tuesday, September 22, Week 6

Me, Elder Olson and Samuel Smith

Well this week has been a pretty tough week. Most of the appointments we had canceled on us and we did a lot of tracting and no success at all. So its been rough. We are going to call and set appointments this week and then call and remind people and we are also making a goal to get some referrals from people. So this week is gonna be good...hopefully.

The fair also sounded fun. Pete and Dan I hear you two had more fun on the kiddie rides than Belle and Mak. I can't believe they didn't ride the ponies. Thats the best part of the fair.

Oh my comp is from Boulder, CO and he has been out for 1 year.

Well like I said we went fishing a couple weeks ago. I didn't catch anything Lynds. I did catch a lot of seaweed.

I haven't gotten the package from you are JoAnne yet. I'm sure I'll get it sometime this week. Maybe today.

Well like I said this week has been pretty rough. We have had no success. Last Sunday was our big Invitation Sunday where members are supposed to invite non members and the whole sacrament is directed to teaching the basic doctrine of our religion. No one invited anyone. So that was a huge bummer because we were hoping we could get a lot of new investigators. We had a bbq on sat for the young single adults and we gave a short talk about the restoration. We had to walk so dang far and it wasn't even in our area. When we got there, nobody was there. Only the leaders. So that was a bummer too. Not even the member single adults showed up. But we are really going to step it up this week. We have to make some changes because obviously what we are doing is not working.

Today for P-day I think we are just going to go shopping for some clothes for me. Nothing too exciting. I think everyone else might play basketball, but we can't because I have no clothes.

Well I love you all and I'll talk to ya next week. Oh and I sent a letter to mom and dad and then one to Whit today.

This picture is the home where the other elders in our districts live. Ya, they have a pond upstairs inside the house. Its pretty sweet. Oh and that guy is Elder Smith.

This picture is of our fridge/microwave/toaster. This is all we have for space.

My drawers where I put my clothes and above is our food storage.

This is a picture of my kitchen sink. Notice how the washer is draining into it.

Best Letter Ever

Well I guess it was just our lucky week because we were the only ones that got a letter from Jared this week! And it was the best letter ever. He sounded so great. He said he was taking some advice that Dan gave him, which was to live in the moment, be his companion's friend and don't lose the fire. He also said he was really starting to look at Washington like it was his real mission, whereas before he was thinking his real mission wasn't going to start until he made it to India. I am so proud of him!

He said they haven't had a chance yet to go to the temple, but he was hoping to maybe go this week. He also let us know that he and his comp got bus passes, which must help them out a lot considering the large area they are covering. They are covering three wards right now. I told him about how Dan made a paddle to go with his longboard, and Fatty commented that he thought that would be very useful for a missionary who has to walk all day long. He mentioned that every time he takes a picture he thinks, "Lyndsie would be so proud." I sure am! I'm glad I don't need to be there to nag him about taking pictures.

Jared told us that he actually misses the MTC because the spirit was so strong there and he learned so much. He said it was kind of a shocker to go out into the field and the real world. Some days are really hard for him, but he pushes through and always tries to stay focused and determined. And he said he is definitely having fun! He said the good days definitely outweigh the bad.

He ended the letter with "I think this is the longest letter I have ever written. Your Welcome."

I didn't write everything he wrote, but it was so good to get such an upbeat and funny letter from Jared. It sounds like he is doing fantastic. He is having a great attitude, working hard and doing a wonderful job. Dad said when we get a good letter from Fatty it makes his whole day and his whole week. I feel the same way. Transfers are this week, so hopefully we'll know soon whether or not he will be getting transferred within Washington. We do know he won't be going to India yet, but I think he's okay with that. More updates to come!

Tuesday, September 15 - Week 5

Well we got another email from Jare. It was such a good one! His spirits seemed to be up, and he sounded really good. Here is most of his email:

Oh boy what a week it has been. Well thank you guys so much for the letters and the package. We actually bought some chips, but i went through that in like 5 days so I was dying for a while until the package came. Really you guys have no idea how much letters mean to me. They are so much better than emails because I can read them over and over again and then they come during the middle of the week too so its a nice surprise.

Well I made a list of things I wanna talk about and try to answer your questions so here i go. Yes I have been out a month now. CRAZY! It has gone by pretty fast. Only 23 more months to go haha. That really doesn't seem like a long time, but then at the same time it does. Oh whit thanks for your letter you sent to me in the MTC and wanted me to read when i got to Washington. I totally forgot about it until like 3 days after I flew in. That was nice to have.

Alright Elder Smith is much better now. Really I had been praying for strength and that he would understand me. Then later that night he said, "I had this idea that we should start preparing lessons for investigators." That was pretty cool. So we actually do prepare lessons for investigators now. We don't have a lot of investigators right now so we tract a lot. We haven't had much success, but then on Saturday we walked up to this guy who was sitting on his front steps. We gave our shpil and asked if we could come back to teach him more. He said, "Sure how about now." We just sat there like uh right now. Really? So we taught him about the Restoration right there on his front steps. He wondered why there are so many churches and he has asked a lot of people and no one can give him an answer. NICE! I have the answer to that question and our church is the only one with that answer. So he said, "Well i guess that answers it then." We gave him a Book of Mormon and asked him to pray and he seemed interested. Bad news is that we couldn't get a return appointment because he has a busy work schedule so we just gave him our phone number. Hopefully he calls, but if not we will probably just stop by. So that was pretty cool.

Sunday was stake conference and it was a broadcast from SLC so we got to hear from the President Monson. that was great. K we had dinner with this family called the Curnutt family and their grandaughter is exactly like Isabelle. Looks, personality and all. Its so funny, but she is super cute just like belle. Sounds like Bear lake was fun. I can just see Belle and Mak playing in the yard and having a Blast. Dad I'm glad everyone took pity on you and slept out with ya. Thats funny about the turkey and the coyotes. Dad whats worse the turkeys or the coyotes? I really missed not going this year. I always love it.

So ya it is only elder smith and i living with our family. I totally scrubbed my collars with a toothbrush last night and now they are perfectly white. AWESOME. And ya we email at the stake center so i have unlimited time. Thats why this email is so long and i probably wont send letters.

Ya so I hope Burton is doing okay. It sounds like he is. Keep me updated with any info you get from the Doctor. thanks for your scripture mom. That really helped me out oh and thanks for the scripture you shared with me too whit. that is one of my favorites too and it means even more to me knowing i can share it with you. it sounds like Mak had an awesome birthday. Thats fun you got to go out with just him. Oh and the invitation was HILARIOUS! I was laughing so hard. You guys did a good job with both belle and maks invitations this year. They were funny. Ya the elder going to san diego said they weren't jealous about us going to India because they don't have to deal with the dirtiness and disease. They're just lying. Have you heard from Elder Killpack? I don't even know if he'll call you because mission life is so busy.

Oh and I can't believe you found someone to set me up with already. thats impressive. At this rate, I'll have 24 dates to go on when I get home. Well at least she is almost done with highschool instead of starting jr high like some of the other girls you want to set me up with. Well I am still losing weight. Its only a couple of pounds but still. I really don't know what i'm doing. I think its because we walk so much and I only eat pb and J's and cereal. Last week we went fishing for p day and today we are going mini golfing. Well the bad news today is I found out I'll be here through the next transfer. Which means the earliest I could leave would be November 2nd and I'm guessing it will be longer than that. Well I love you all and hope to hear from ya sometime this week. Hope all is going good for everyone.

Love,

Elder Garrick

Day 6--Washington

Jared has now been in Washington for 6 days. We got a letter from him on Saturday basically just telling us that he is there safe and sound. It is so good to know he made it! He said his mission president was cool. He had just barely met his companion, and he knew he was going to be staying with members. We didn't know much more than that, so we were anxious for his email today. His P-Days are now on Tuesdays. Here is a little of his email:

"Well here I am in Washington. I got assigned to the Tri-Cities Area. I actually cover three wards, the Kennewick Park, Maple Springs, and Young Single Adults (Who by the way are just as weird here as they are in Utah). My companion is Elder Smith."

He let us know how things are going. Jared is moving forward and making the best of the situation. He is following all the rules, working hard, and setting a good example. I know if he keeps a positive attitude and works hard the Lord will bless him and bring him to the people that need to hear his message. Until next time, here are some cute pictures he sent from the Provo MTC:

Oh, our Fatty is a little Missionary!Jared and his District in the MTC

Jared and his good friend Nate Watkins in front of the Provo Temple

This is Jared and Elder Powell doing the Matrix in their dorm. Elder Powell is going to San Diego, but he is in his District. Don't ask me how they took this picture!

Elder Garrick and his companion Elder Olsen

I love this picture. It is so cute! It's with all his buddies that he got to be in the MTC with. They're all holding their badges up to the place they are going: Nathan going to Singapore, Taylor going to Russia, Bryce going to Brazil, and Jared going to India.

Elder Garrick and Elder Kevern

Here are all the missionaries that will be going to India

India--HERE WE COME! (Hopefully soon)

The Phone Call

We got to talk to Fatty today! He was able to call us from the airport before he left for Kennewick, Washington. My mom and dad took the day off of work in case he called, so my parents, Whit, and I all got to talk to him. It was so good to hear his voice. He sounded like the same old Fatty. We were able to talk to him for about an hour. Me, Whit, Mom, and Dad were pretty much all on a phone the entire time. He's doing so well. One of the funniest stories he told us is how many of the missionaries at the MTC start singing hymns on their way to and from class. He and his district made a pact that they would never do that. He said by the end, some guys in his district started singing, and they had to be like, "Dude, what are you doing?" to bring them back to non-nerdy reality. He is so funny. I mostly just loved listening to him tell us what is going on. Makee and Belly even got to talk to their Uncle YoYo. It was hard to say good-bye again, but everyone got to talk to him, so we all felt good. We haven't heard yet if he made it, but we're assuming no news is good news. Can't wait to hear from him!