March 22, 2010 - Week 32

Hello Family!

How is everybody doing? So first I wanted to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!!! And don't think that I forgot. There should be a letter in the mail. Maybe you already got it. I just didn't want you to think that I forgot about you. Thanks for the reminder dad, but I didn't need it haha. That's how good of a son I am. So Mom you had some questions for me. Yes this area is super small. I do feel like I am in Ephraim right now. Its awesome. The people here are so great. They are big time hicks. It's hard for the LDS kids though. They are some of the strongest (spiritually) kids I have ever met. Everyone around here does drugs and drinks and smokes and sleeps around pretty much starting from age 13 or 14. Crazy huh. So the kids really have to be strong in their values and it really makes it hard for them to make friends. Not a big selection for them. I will have to take some pictures of downtown Waitsburg and send them home to you. It is literally a street. It's way small. There is not a Walmart here, but there is one in Walla Walla so we go down there every Monday for district meetings and sometimes for p-day. Sometimes we can't even meet up with the other elders so its just Elder Buchanan and I. We haven't had to do it yet, but may have to tomorrow. We are still fed by members almost every night. We eat with a lot of less active members. It is the best way for us to get in and there are miracles that are starting to happen. One man that hasn't let home teachers in for 10 years and missionaries in for 20 years is now taking the lessons. Pretty cool huh. Things are going great with Elder Buchanan. Its been a little different for me to adjust too, because with Cashin I did most the talking. Now I have to pipe up just to get a word in because Buchanan is a talker. It's fun though. Like I said he reminds me a lot of Elder Olsen. And he actually said that I remind him a lot like his best friend back at home. It's fun. Most nights we go to bed because we are up talking forever. Not too late, don't worry. We're trying to go to bed on time, we just have to shut our mouths.

Well I thought that I would let you all know whats going on right now. Yesterday we had an Invitation Sunday where people invite nonmembers to sacrament and the sacrament is tailored for nonmembers where the speakers talk about our basic beliefs and stuff. It was supposed to be huge, but with only a tiny ward, we only got 2 nonmembers there. That was kind of a bummer. We are doing this intense schedule this week where we are trying to find as many referrals as possible and teach them. We were hoping to get a lot at invitation Sunday and then go get more if we could. Well we haven't gotten too much so that means we are going to be out tracting. It's okay though. I still think that there are a lot of people who are prepared and ready to hear the gospel. So that guy I was talking about earlier (the one who hasn't taken the lessons in 20 years) is doing great. We are actually teaching his less active son and the sons nonmember wife. Their names are the Janovich's. They are all amazing. Larissa Janovich (the nonmember wife) is on date to be baptized and Cole (the husband/son) is trying to get the priesthood so he can baptize his wife and maybe even his dad. John (the dad) is really open to us. He had some really bad experiences with missionaries a long time ago, but he really likes and trusts us. He is really open to everything we say and knows most of it from when he took the discussions 20 years ago. We also have a family on date to be baptized. Their name is the Huxoll family. The Huxolls have a long way to come but we are working with them. We decided to do a church tour for them so they could feel more comfortable coming to church and to actually see the baptismal font. We set and planned everything. They didn't show. We waited and they still didn't show. 45 min and still nothing. So we decided to say a prayer. I ask God that the Huxoll family will find a way to come to the church tour. Right as I say the words, the door swings open. I just say amen as fast as I can and we stand up and they walk right into the doors. Its like in the Best Two Years when they are praying for a phone call. It was pretty funny. So that's pretty much it for this week. Thanks for all of your letters. I feel so bad that I haven't been able to write anyone back. I will do it tomorrow though. I promise. Thanks again. Oh, tell JoAnne thank you for her package and letter. I will write her too. And thank you for the March Madness bracket. I will send mine and E. Buchanans home. That was awesome. Earlier this week I realized that it was march madness and I about died. Man I'm missin that. Ah well. K love ya guys. Talk to ya next week.

Love
Elder Garrick