January 4, 2016

This week was pretty wild. I got a new companion. His name is Elder Wilcock so I get to hear people say "cock or cocks?" all the time hahahahaha. He is alright he is kinda weird and we don't really have anything in common. He did drama and musicals and singing in high school. I did the calculation though and there is only a 37% chance he is gay by my current data. We will see. Yesterday it snowed so basically all of Oregon city shut down. We walked around all day because we weren't supposed to drive. We helped push people up hills and stuff. We saw this old lady just flying around a corner sliding and nailed an electrical box thing. Her entire car was on the sidewalk/grass. She only had a small dent in her car. Then I drove her car off the sidewalk for her and she went on her way haha. It was crazy. We were just walking around with the first elders. They drove over in the morning and we drove to play Yahtzee with brother Steve. This big fat handicapped guy. Then we drove to our apartment. Then we got word that we weren't allowed to drive. We walked to the sisters apartment and got them and we all walked around helping people and what not. Snowball fights and such. Then we walked all the way to the other elders apartment to grab something. Then we walked all the way back to our apartment. The sisters went to their apartment. And we were fasting all this time so we were an hungered and we were about to faint because of our weariness. we walked 8 miles. Then the sisters grabbed some stuff and came to our apartment, but they aren't allowed to come in so they came in sat outside on our balcony and we ate dinner haha. Then the sisters left and we really wanted to go play Yahtzee with the first ward elders less active, but she is too far away to walk so we drove(don't tell president). I drove since elder Anderson is a terrible driver. We made it there and played Yahtzee. I won. Then we made it back without any incidents. It was only a half inch of snow so it wasn't a super big deal. If you are wondering how we did all this and made it to church. We didn't! Church was canceled because of a half inch of snow! I never thought I would miss church on my mission. It was hilarious. As far as actual missionary work goes. Earlier in the week we saw a few people and did some tracting. Nothing groundbreaking. We have a baptism this Saturday! I am super excited. We also have two other baptisms that are scheduled this month. And one
scheduled in February. So we are doing pretty well.

Spiritual thought:
25 And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.

26 And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.

27 But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.

28 And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.

29 And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.

30 But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.

31 And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?

Matthew 14

In this Peter walks a few steps toward Jesus on the water. Peter had sufficient faith to walk on the water, but he was afraid because of the wind and rough seas. He began to doubt. He sank in the water. He cried out to the lord for help and it says "immediately" the lord reached out his loving hand and saved him. Sometimes we take the leap of faith and follow God, but when the times get tough and the wind becomes boisterous we doubt, but the lord will always be there immediately to help us if we ask for it. Notice Peter cried out and said lord, save me. We need to do the same. When we make mistakes and fall on hard times. Don't hesitate to ask the lord for help.

Love,
Elder Garfield

December 28, 2015

This week was awesome! I got to talk to you guys so that was sweet. It's so hard to start to do missionary work after Christmas. Transfers are today and I'm getting a new companion. His name is elder wilcock so lots of jokes about that. I've met him once and he seemed pretty cool so we will see. Yesterday we went to have a lesson with one of our investigators. His fiancé is less active, but is a member. He is the one who didn't believe in Jesus Christ. We asked him if he had any questions and he said yes. "What do I have to do to become a member?" We were both kind of taken back. Then we thought. Oh wait... We actually know how to answer this question. He is scheduled to be baptized on the 30th of January. That was amazing. I didn't ink stuff like that actually happened. I don't really have any other stories since I told you all of them when we were skyline, but this week was pretty good. As far as numbers go this week was awful. Nobody really wants the missionaries to bug them coming close to Christmas and we weren't allowed to proselytize Christmas or Christmas Eve. The members took great care of us though. We got tiny rc cars, $30 in subway gift cards, $20, a pocket knife, a box of Cocoa Puffs, plus all the stuff you guys sent me. I was really surprised. The members are so awesome out here. I didn't really have to buy groceries because I have so many sweets and stuff that people have us. It's crazy. I'm probably gonna get diabetes haha. I saw Veronica Laughlin on Sunday. She is karlee larsens best friend from byu-I. Apparently her grandparents are in our ward and her family is in the neighboring ward. That was pretty awesome. That's basically it for this week. Sorry I didn't have any super funny stories haha.

Spiritual thought:
1 O that I were an angel, and could have the wish of mine heart, that I might go forth and speak with the trump of God, with a voice to shake the earth, and cry repentance unto every people!

2 Yea, I would declare unto every soul, as with the voice of thunder, repentance and the plan of redemption, that they should repent and come unto our God, that there might not be more sorrow upon all the face of the earth.

3 But behold, I am a man, and do sin in my wish; for I ought to be content with the things which the Lord hath allotted unto me.
Alma chapter 29

Here alma who is a mighty prophet is just wishing that he were and angel so he could more powerfully profess the gospel. But he goes on to say that he sins in his wish and that he should be grateful for what God has given him. We do this to ourselves so often. We should be more grateful for the talents and abilities that we already posses instead of focusing on our weaknesses. Do the best you can and the lord will bless you for your efforts.

Love,
Elder Garfield

December 21, 2015

This week we had the mission Christmas party! It was awesome because they had a ton of cookies, but guess what they fed us as the meal? A FREAKING SALAD!!!!! I was so angry!! Luckily there were a ton of cookies like I said before. This week didn't seem that productive, but apparently we taught 24 lessons so that was pretty awesome. It's not a competition, but the first ward elders beat us as far as lessons the last two weeks so we had to step our game up. I'm not saying it's all about numbers, but when you are winning... It's all about numbers. AND helping others come unto Christ of course. The Christmas party was pretty awesome. I was talking to elder Lott and we decided that it was kinda like an awkward stake dance because we don't know that many missionaries yet.  It was fun though.

I'm super excited to talk to you guys on Christmas. I think I am going to use Skype, but if that doesn't work I will just FaceTime. I have both. I got the Christmas packages, but I sorta opened everything up right when I got them... So thank you so much for all everything. Also the fifes and grandma and grandpa sent me a package which was really nice of them. I also love the Christmas tree. It is pretty legit.

This week we got to talk with one of our investigators who's significant other is a less active member. Last week we took them to the visitors center and they came to church yesterday. We also had a lesson with them yesterday after church. It was awesome because he (the nonmember) was the one who really wanted to go to church! He also said that the visitors center made him feel something different inside. (THE SPIRIT!!!) it was awesome. Especially because a couple weeks ago he told us he didn't believe in Jesus Christ... Oh I almost forgot. We taught a lady again this week and she said she would be baptized. We haven't set a date with her yet, but she is really open to the gospel. It is amazing. So the missionary work is going really well. Oregon city is the place to be. Transfers are on the 28th so there is a chance I could leave. We will have to see.

Spiritual thought:
"our knowledge of God does not depend on the amount of information we accumulate. After all, all the knowledge of the gospel which is meaningful for our salvation can be summarized in a few points of doctrine, principles, and essential commandments, which are already there in the missionary lessons we receive before baptism. Knowing God is a matter of opening our hearts to gain a spiritual understanding and a fervent testimony of the truth of these few fundamental points of doctrine. Knowing God is having a testimony of His existence and feeling in one’s heart that He loves us. It is accepting Jesus Christ as our Savior and having a fervent desire to follow His example. In serving God and our neighbor, we witness of Christ and allow those around us to get to know Him better.

    These principles find concrete application in the teaching which is given in our wards and branches. For you teachers of the Church, the principal goal of your lessons is the conversion of hearts. The quality of a lesson is not measured by the number of new pieces of information that you give your students. It comes from your capacity to invite the presence of the Spirit and to motivate your students to make commitments. It is by exercising their faith by putting into practice the lessons taught that they will increase their spiritual knowledge.

   I pray that we will know how to open our hearts like a little child and take pleasure in hearing and practicing the word of God in all the power of its simplicity. I bear testimony that if we do this, we will gain the knowledge of the “mysteries [of God] and [the] peaceable things--that which bringeth joy, that which bringeth life eternal” (D&C 42:61). In the name of Jesus Christ, amen."-elder caussé

Don't try to over complicate things please. The gospel can be understood by 8 year olds. We do not need to try and make it more complicated. This gospel is a gospel of feelings not knowledge or complexity. The more complex we make it, the less likely we are to feel the spirit. Feeling the spirit leads to belief and through continued prayer and scripture study. That belief can become a knowledge. You can know of a surety that God is real, that Jesus is the Christ, and that His church has been restored once again to the earth. This is my testimony. In the name of Jesus Christ amen.

MERRY CHRISTMAS
LOVE YOU,
Elder Garfield

December 14, 2015

This week where do I begin... Well I made some sweet Tye dye stuff last Monday. That was really fun. Today I'm going downtown with some other elders. Tuesday we had Elder Arnold from the First Quorum of the Seventy come and talk to us. We had a 9 hour meeting with him on Tuesday. His wife, President Ballard, and Sister Ballard also spoke. The meeting was actually really good. Elder Arnold is hardcore. He can just glare straight into your soul and then use his glare to beat your soul to pieces. He would just call people out and ask them questions. It was super scary. We had to read a bunch of stuff in preparation for the meeting and he would ask people questions from what they read so it was a good thing we read it! He basically told us to quit being little children and stop trying to be the center of attention and grow up. He told us to solve our own problems. He told us to be men and women. He was seriously hardcore like I said before. He told us a story about when he was a mission president in South America. There was an earthquake and all the roads, airports, and any other transportation was closed. He had received a revelation that the missionaries should get two weeks worth of food before the earthquake hit so they were all hunkered down at their apartments and at least had food. President Packer called him and told him to get the missionaries out of there. He asked President Packer how if all the roads and transportation are closed. President packer said "get on your knees, pray, and the Lord God will tell you. Goodbye" and he hung up the phone! It was a pretty crazy story.

Then on Friday my district got to go to the temple. It was amazing! The Portland temple is really awesome. Then yesterday we got to take a less active lady and her fiancé to the visitors center which is always an amazing experience. Plus the visitors center sisters are very attractive so that is also a bonus. All the elders want to be zone leader in Lake Oswego so that they can be over all of the visitors center sisters haha. This week was really great as far as missionary work goes. We have five nonmembers at sacrament meeting which is awesome. And we had quite a few less actives, who haven't been in a very long time, come. Also the sacrament meeting was really really good. The bishop had two people come up and share their testimony at the end and both their testimonies I think we're perfect for our investigators. We told that to the bishop and he said "imagine that, a bishop that is inspired..." He is a goofball. We also now have 12 progressing investigators! Some of them are progressing very slowly, but everyone is different and some people just need time. It's hard because as a missionary you just want them to be baptized because you know that it is going to bring them so much joy and peace. I've never seen a sad person at a baptism. I have, however, seen some people with no emotions smiling at baptisms. I'm really happy though because since I got here our progressing investigators have doubled. It has nothing to do with me by the way. It is just awesome how the Lord works. Also we found the other investigator that went missing last week. She came to church, so she wasn't scared off. I think she was just staying with her sister. I'm not sure though.

Brace yourself for this one. I sang with a group of missionaries at a baptism. I'm concerned with my well being. I've only been out a couple months and I'm already singing at baptisms. It's only downhill from here. I told the other missionaries that if my mom saw me singing at a baptism she might lose her lunch. Same thing goes for how many stinking salads I've eaten. I've eaten more salads in the  past two months then I have my whole life. It's ridiculous. Salad is not food. Why would anyone enjoy eating a salad? It doesn't make any sense.

Spiritual thought:
I want you all to look up 3 Nephi 11 in the Book of Mormon. That chapter is the account of Christ coming to the people in the Americas. It is a really good chapter and it fits this time of year when we celebrate the birth of Christ.


Love and miss you all,
Elder Garfield

Flooding Pictures

Over flowing creek! Almost to the road!

Another Pic of the flooded creek!

Flooded Farm!

December 7, 2015

This week was pretty darn good. We had a bunch of people cancel on us which was poopy, but we got over it. 3 of our investigators went MIA, but we found two of them haha. You can't escape two kids who have absolutely nothing else to do besides track you down. Today the rain is COMING DOWN. the stream next to the road is totally flooded. Almost over the road! It's supposed to rain Every single day this week so that is great. There is seriously a flood going on right now. The stream/river is almost up to people's houses. This letter is going to be kinda short because not much happened this week. Our investigators are doing well. Found a couple new people who will hopefully keep wanting to hear about the gospel. Today we had a tie dye party and that was super fun. Brother rice provided the tie dye and we just had to get some shirts and I did some sweatpants too. They are pretty awesome. The butt cheeks have bulls eyes on them haha. Sorry my letter is pretty lame this week. Nothing super out of the ordinary happened. So here is your spiritual thought. Also I will attach pics of the flood because it is pretty serious.
 
Spiritual thought:

"Joseph Smith’s actions when he was seeking for wisdom are a perfect example of what it means to have an honest heart. He said he wanted to know which of the sects was true so “that [he] might know which to join.” Even before he prayed, he was ready to act upon the answer he would receive.

       We must ask in faith and with an honest heart. But that is not all. We must also believe that we will receive the revelation. We must trust the Lord and have hope in His promises. Remember what is
written: “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.”What a wonderful promise!

        I invite all to seek truth from any of these methods but especially from God through personal revelation. God will reveal truth to those who seek for it as prescribed in the scriptures. It requires more effort than to just search the Internet, but it is worth it.

        I bear my testimony that this is the true Church of Jesus Christ. I have seen its fruits in communities and in the lives of many thousands, including family members; thus I know it is true. I have also tried the word in my life for many years, and I have felt its effects on my soul; thus I know it is true. But most important, I have learned of its truthfulness for myself by revelation through the power of the Holy Ghost; thus I know it is true. I invite all of you to do the same. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen."

More important than praying is praying with real intent. There are prayers I say that I don't think make it past the ceiling. That being said, it is important to pray whether or not you want to or are praying with real intent. However, if you are going to pray anyway, you may as well pray with meaning. Ask for things you most desire and give thanks for the things you are truly grateful for. God actually hears your prayers so tell him what you want to know.

I love you all. I miss you all. Have a great week.

Elder Garfield

Updated Pictures

Peace signing with Elder Itufia!

Elder Casey and I are hanging out with the donkeys! 

Taking a pic with the 1st Presidency!

Our District!