This is it, everyone. The end has arrived. My time spent for the best two years in the Oklahoma City Mission is up. My thoughts, as you might imagine, have been filled with nostalgia and reflection over the events that have gone on in the past two years. I thought about the Savior's mission in Jerusalem, especially the times when He entered into a new city or into a new environment and ministered to the people that needed Him at the time. What a sight to behold! The news of His presence and His fame was spread all throughout the land.
Another thought on my mind is the things I've learned since I've been out here in Oklahoma. I came to the conclusion pretty quickly that though I have learned a lot, I will always be learning and will continue to learn. So with that being said, why not pursue learning for the rest of your life? You may never know it all, but how much of an advantage will we have in the life to come? Tuesday was a great example of that. Our mission had Elder Lawrence E. Corbridge come out for a mission tour. He talked about his famous missionary talk, "The Fourth Missionary" and talked about how to teach people better. One thing I gained from him was learning to tell people the "why" of missionary work. In a church that focuses so much on the dos and don'ts, it's really easy for people to miss the point of why we must live the gospel the way we do. In Preach My Gospel it talks about how people will more readily accept the gospel if they understand what's being taught, and that people need a reason to live the gospel--that reason is change through repentance.
It's pretty good that Elder Corbridge came to our mission this week, because missionary work has come to a close since then. On Wednesday we were informed officially that our ward would be losing a set of elders, and since I depart the mission this week, the obvious choice is our area's companionship. Elder Tanner is also leaving, and he's going to be a Zone Leader in Norman. The Assistant to the President said that it would be up to us as to how the areas would be divided. The sisters will be taking over our area and most of our investigators, less actives, and recent converts. The other elders are also moving out of their apartment into our apartment, and the mission office will be closing the older apartment. Since we received that news, we've spent many hours just in the past few days getting the area ready to be handed off and the other apartment ready to be closed. We still have a ways to go, and a lot has to happen in the next few days.
A few events with investigators did happen, however. We were able to teach Stephanie the Word of Wisdom and hand her off to the sisters. We also set a baptismal date with Dayton, our 13-year old referral. Saying goodbye to Memery and Zavior is going to be so hard... Zavior is going to be devastated when he finds out both Elder Tanner and I are leaving. He will be such a great example for his family.
Interestingly enough, I ended my mission the same way I started it when I came out to Oklahoma: storms. The rains came and the tornado and flash flood warnings were announced. Wednesday through Saturday we had torrents and the most tsunami-esque weather I've seen out here! It's a surprise that no tornadoes touched down over here. I will always remember Oklahoma for its unpredictable weather.
To end this week, I got to go down to Sulphur for one last visit. I got to have lunch with Michelle and Tammy McElvany. In so many ways they stayed the same, yet in other ways they've changed completely. I'm so incredibly blessed to have been able to meet the people that I did, and that I didn't get to miss out on the opportunity to serve a mission for Heavenly Father preaching the true gospel of Jesus Christ.
These really are the most amazing and best two years of my life. I'll see y'all in Utah!
—Elder Garner
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
Monday, May 4, 2015
Let Your Light So Shine (05/04/2015)
Oh my goodness, this is the week to give it my best! Time to bring down the house and testify of the true and everlasting gospel like nothing else matters! This past week got me pretty pumped for finishing strong. Our week was eventful, and miracles happened. The attitude I've had towards finishing the best two years is way different than I thought it would be. At the start of my mission I thought I would be battered and beat and ready to leave, but only the first two adjectives apply in this case. Behind the scenes of all the emails I send every week, I've had a lot of things happen. Some might say, "I don't have much time left, I may as well just slow down and give up." But lately I keep thinking, "I've done this for nearly two years, surely I can do it a little longer." And it's kept me going.
We met with Stephanie a couple times this week. Nothing new with her and Nashoba, but he's still living somewhere else. We taught her the Restoration and set a baptismal date for the 13th of June. I was amazed by how willing and readily she responded to baptism. There was no hesitation in her response to the invitation. We taught her again later in the week about the Doctrine of Christ. We're planning to teach her the Word of Wisdom and the Law of Chastity before Nashoba potentially moves back in with her. She came to the ward talent show with her two kids and loved it! We were happy she got to come and have some fun, that way she could see what Mormons are like apart from church. She had a lot of people come up and talk to her.
And speaking of that, the ward talent show on Friday was BOSS. We had such a good turnout and the food was amazing! When little Josie dressed up as Elsa and sang "Let It Go" my heart liquified. It was the most adorable thing that happened in the entire talent show. Definitely more adorable than the elders' talent. We did a glutes and thighs workout in front of the entire ward. I was completely out of sync with the other elders...it was great. If you're curious, just look on Facebook.
On Wednesday my companion had to go to the dentist, so I got to go with him. The dental lodge we went to happens to be in one of my old areas--Noble! I had no idea this dentist office even existed! It must be new or something. So as I waited outside I got to talk to a lady from Noble. We talked about random stuff for about an hour. She lives in Noble, so I got to tell her a little bit about the experiences I had when I served there almost two years ago. Finally when our conversation was over, I invited her to the Lamb of God and to attend church in Noble. Surprisingly enough, I remembered the church building address. Whenever that seed grows, she will be attending the most noble ward in Oklahoma. #NobleMemories
On Thursday we spent most of the day with Brother Starnes. We did some service for Sister Duffy, one of our recent coverts. She has a non-member husband that's a trucker and does about 25 days on and 5 days off. She asked us to mow her lawn. It took forever even with two lawn mowers and an edger. I even found a dead snake in the backyard! After that project we got cleaned up, had dinner, and saw Dayton, a referral from the Bunners. He's 13-years old and hangs out with the Bunner's 14-year old daughter. He told us up front that he wanted to join the church, so we got him started on the discussions and even got to teach two of his siblings, Amya and Eva. They are way smart for their age. We see amazing potential in them.
Saturday we saw the Lamb of God concert. What an explosion of spirituality! We had a pretty good turnout there as well. Lots of members and non-members. It's done by the Central Saints Chorus, so if they make a soundtrack, y'all should check it out. And to finish the week we saw Memery and Zavior. They have officially moved out of their duplex and moved across town into a house. Their living situation is so much better now. It truly is a blessing for them. We shared Mormon 9 with them, the chapter we did in Book of Mormon class. We talked about how miracles happen today. It was pretty interesting. Earlier that day after church we had lunch with the Sweeneys. They asked me to give some parting advice and share some miracles I'd seen in my mission. I shared some stories and miracles I had seen in Purcell/Noble. Meeting lady on the side of the road and helping her make her way back to Wetumka, watching Thayne give $300 to Carol, and meeting the Hoffmans. All those happened so long ago, but I remember them like it happened not so long ago. I'm grateful for the miracles that confirm and build my faith. I know that Heavenly Father is willing to bless us as long as we have faith in Jesus Christ, nothing doubting. Everyday of your life is a miracle!
Elder Garner
We met with Stephanie a couple times this week. Nothing new with her and Nashoba, but he's still living somewhere else. We taught her the Restoration and set a baptismal date for the 13th of June. I was amazed by how willing and readily she responded to baptism. There was no hesitation in her response to the invitation. We taught her again later in the week about the Doctrine of Christ. We're planning to teach her the Word of Wisdom and the Law of Chastity before Nashoba potentially moves back in with her. She came to the ward talent show with her two kids and loved it! We were happy she got to come and have some fun, that way she could see what Mormons are like apart from church. She had a lot of people come up and talk to her.
And speaking of that, the ward talent show on Friday was BOSS. We had such a good turnout and the food was amazing! When little Josie dressed up as Elsa and sang "Let It Go" my heart liquified. It was the most adorable thing that happened in the entire talent show. Definitely more adorable than the elders' talent. We did a glutes and thighs workout in front of the entire ward. I was completely out of sync with the other elders...it was great. If you're curious, just look on Facebook.
On Wednesday my companion had to go to the dentist, so I got to go with him. The dental lodge we went to happens to be in one of my old areas--Noble! I had no idea this dentist office even existed! It must be new or something. So as I waited outside I got to talk to a lady from Noble. We talked about random stuff for about an hour. She lives in Noble, so I got to tell her a little bit about the experiences I had when I served there almost two years ago. Finally when our conversation was over, I invited her to the Lamb of God and to attend church in Noble. Surprisingly enough, I remembered the church building address. Whenever that seed grows, she will be attending the most noble ward in Oklahoma. #NobleMemories
On Thursday we spent most of the day with Brother Starnes. We did some service for Sister Duffy, one of our recent coverts. She has a non-member husband that's a trucker and does about 25 days on and 5 days off. She asked us to mow her lawn. It took forever even with two lawn mowers and an edger. I even found a dead snake in the backyard! After that project we got cleaned up, had dinner, and saw Dayton, a referral from the Bunners. He's 13-years old and hangs out with the Bunner's 14-year old daughter. He told us up front that he wanted to join the church, so we got him started on the discussions and even got to teach two of his siblings, Amya and Eva. They are way smart for their age. We see amazing potential in them.
Saturday we saw the Lamb of God concert. What an explosion of spirituality! We had a pretty good turnout there as well. Lots of members and non-members. It's done by the Central Saints Chorus, so if they make a soundtrack, y'all should check it out. And to finish the week we saw Memery and Zavior. They have officially moved out of their duplex and moved across town into a house. Their living situation is so much better now. It truly is a blessing for them. We shared Mormon 9 with them, the chapter we did in Book of Mormon class. We talked about how miracles happen today. It was pretty interesting. Earlier that day after church we had lunch with the Sweeneys. They asked me to give some parting advice and share some miracles I'd seen in my mission. I shared some stories and miracles I had seen in Purcell/Noble. Meeting lady on the side of the road and helping her make her way back to Wetumka, watching Thayne give $300 to Carol, and meeting the Hoffmans. All those happened so long ago, but I remember them like it happened not so long ago. I'm grateful for the miracles that confirm and build my faith. I know that Heavenly Father is willing to bless us as long as we have faith in Jesus Christ, nothing doubting. Everyday of your life is a miracle!
Elder Garner
Tuesday, April 28, 2015
Loosing the Bands (04/27/2015)
There are going to a lot of "lasts" these next couple weeks. With my last General Conference on the mission just finished, a couple more P-days, a couple more district meetings, things are getting wrapped up in Oklahoma. I don't think I've had this many mixed emotions since I left for Oklahoma. I can adapt pretty easily to new settings and environments, and feeling the way I have lately is proving to me that I've grown pretty used to Oklahoma! #ComfortablyBound
And one of the last things I got to do on Monday was go to our Zone P-day and Specialized Training in Pauls Valley. It may just have been my last time in Pauls Valley! But who knows. I may get President to work some of his magic and let me go over there (or at least to Sulphur) and see some people. We had a fantastic P-day at the Boger's house and had an awesome training on having effective member-present lessons: pre-game and post-game tips to making a lesson with an investigator the most spiritual and effective as possible. It was funny... We received bike safety training, and all the while I smiled...I kept thinking, "A bike, a bike, I have no more need of a bike!" I will sure miss P-day activities with the zone. #BoundToHaveFun
It was our turn this week to teach Book of Mormon class. We studied Mormon 9 about faith and miracles. Moroni gave us some pretty neat advice on miracles. In verse 20, it explains that people back then didn't see miracles because they dwindled in unbelief, they departed from the right way, and they didn't know the God in whom they trusted. But the next verse promises all that whatsoever we ask for in the name of Christ will be given to us if we believe and doubt nothing. #MiraclesAbound
A couple miracles of our own that we had this week: We got back in contact with Stephanie, our investigator referral. She's breaking up with her boyfriend, who is the brother of the member that referred us to the couple. She's had a history of being more humble and receptive when times are rough. When we first met her a couple months back, she'd had a death in the family and was more receptive then. We'd taught her the plan of salvation and committed her to read and pray. This time we read 1st Nephi 7 about Nephi going back to Jerusalem to get Ishmael and his family. Shortly after that goes down, Nephi gets bound with cords by Laman and Lemuel. He prays for the strength to burst the bands, and they're loosed from him. We talked to her about the things in life that bind us, and recommitted her to pray, and pray specifically to overcome her challenges and have the things that bind her to be loosed. #BreakingTheRelationshipBands
Our other investigators are doing well and continue to be taught the gospel. Memery is for sure moving, but she's only moving across town, luckily. Rusty promised us that he'd be at church for my departure talk in Ada. Man, if that's what it takes, then that's a miracle right there. We also saw Bro. Frazier, our less active that teaches bible study for his wife's church. We got to know him a little better, and he knows more people in the ward than we thought. His last wife was a member, and after they divorced he fell away. He still has a testimony of Joseph Smith and of the Book of Mormon. We read "His Grace Is Sufficient" by Brad Wilcox. Man that sunk into him good. He felt the Spirit!
This next week will be fun. We have the ward talent show on Friday and the Lamb of God the next day. And we Elder Corbridge next Tuesday! With those events in mind, my days of actual proselyting are numbered. I'm praying to remain focused and to have my thoughts zeroed in on teaching and testifying. It's going by so fast!
Elder Garner
And one of the last things I got to do on Monday was go to our Zone P-day and Specialized Training in Pauls Valley. It may just have been my last time in Pauls Valley! But who knows. I may get President to work some of his magic and let me go over there (or at least to Sulphur) and see some people. We had a fantastic P-day at the Boger's house and had an awesome training on having effective member-present lessons: pre-game and post-game tips to making a lesson with an investigator the most spiritual and effective as possible. It was funny... We received bike safety training, and all the while I smiled...I kept thinking, "A bike, a bike, I have no more need of a bike!" I will sure miss P-day activities with the zone. #BoundToHaveFun
It was our turn this week to teach Book of Mormon class. We studied Mormon 9 about faith and miracles. Moroni gave us some pretty neat advice on miracles. In verse 20, it explains that people back then didn't see miracles because they dwindled in unbelief, they departed from the right way, and they didn't know the God in whom they trusted. But the next verse promises all that whatsoever we ask for in the name of Christ will be given to us if we believe and doubt nothing. #MiraclesAbound
A couple miracles of our own that we had this week: We got back in contact with Stephanie, our investigator referral. She's breaking up with her boyfriend, who is the brother of the member that referred us to the couple. She's had a history of being more humble and receptive when times are rough. When we first met her a couple months back, she'd had a death in the family and was more receptive then. We'd taught her the plan of salvation and committed her to read and pray. This time we read 1st Nephi 7 about Nephi going back to Jerusalem to get Ishmael and his family. Shortly after that goes down, Nephi gets bound with cords by Laman and Lemuel. He prays for the strength to burst the bands, and they're loosed from him. We talked to her about the things in life that bind us, and recommitted her to pray, and pray specifically to overcome her challenges and have the things that bind her to be loosed. #BreakingTheRelationshipBands
Our other investigators are doing well and continue to be taught the gospel. Memery is for sure moving, but she's only moving across town, luckily. Rusty promised us that he'd be at church for my departure talk in Ada. Man, if that's what it takes, then that's a miracle right there. We also saw Bro. Frazier, our less active that teaches bible study for his wife's church. We got to know him a little better, and he knows more people in the ward than we thought. His last wife was a member, and after they divorced he fell away. He still has a testimony of Joseph Smith and of the Book of Mormon. We read "His Grace Is Sufficient" by Brad Wilcox. Man that sunk into him good. He felt the Spirit!
This next week will be fun. We have the ward talent show on Friday and the Lamb of God the next day. And we Elder Corbridge next Tuesday! With those events in mind, my days of actual proselyting are numbered. I'm praying to remain focused and to have my thoughts zeroed in on teaching and testifying. It's going by so fast!
Elder Garner
Tuesday, April 21, 2015
Coming to an Understanding (04/20/2015)
Ada Ward had some special guests from Norman drive down for our sacrament meeting on Sunday. We had a family of three come down and speak on gratitude, and had a fantastic turnout. As they spoke, I looked around the audience and counted all the blessings, one person at a time. And Sister Caster from Sulphur came to Ada sacrament! My favorite bronx lady in the world! Ada was the place to be on Sunday.
But I have so much for which to be grateful. We had a lot of great things happen this week. The biggest one was with Memery. A few weeks back we'd given her a copy of "Come and See" by David A. Bednar. This talk works miracles, especially once you get to the Elder Bednar's story of his son getting a scrape on his arm and having dishwashing soap and ointment put on his arm. We compared the dishwashing soap to the oftentimes painful process of repentance and the cleansing effect it has on our lives. We then compared the ointment to baptism and its cleansing effect and the beginning of renewed life. She discussed her fears about coming to church and taking the missionary discussions. She has things in her life that she needs to change, and after some pondering on her part, she realized that she was dreading the repentance process. She fully admitted she was making up excuses and trying to put off changing. She also realized that she has greater fears (like the 2nd coming) that are far greater than little things like crowds and feeling too sick to come to church. She recited to us our purpose (we hadn't even told her!) and brought the spirit into her own home. She told exactly what we were thinking. And the Spirit was way beyond powerful. She even identified those feelings without us even having to tell her. I'll tell ya, my friends, she taught me something.
She asked us if our sins could be forgiven, even when repeated throughout our lives. We explained to her that God wasn't looking for perfection, but that He is looking for progress is each of us. That progress comes from following the example of Jesus Christ, and as long as our deepest desire is to follow Him, strive to change, and improve ourselves, the Lord will forgive us. It was quite possibly the most spirit-filled and productive lesson we've had with her. The gospel is going to fill that home!
We found a less active this week named Bro. Frazier. We were told that he lived in the other elders' area, but a member ran into him at Walmart and got his new address, and he lives in our area! We went over to meet him, but his wife answered the door. She invited us to her church's bible study. She goes to the Faith Baptist Church. We decided to attend, and the less active was running the bible study! We started with a prayer, and he gave the most Mormon prayer a less active could give! He's totally a Mormon deep down! Of all the chapters to choose from, he chose James 1. How perfect for missionary work ;) We were told to read two verses each. Of all the verses I got assigned to read, I read the famous James 1:5-6. I made sure to read it in an extra deep and pronounced voice ;) And after that he asked for the group's thoughts and insights on the chapter. We were the first people he asked for our thoughts. HA, he knows the significance of this chapter in the restored gospel. Eventually we had to leave, and when we got up, he goes, "See y'all? Baptists and Mormons can study the Bible together!" I laughed inwardly. How funny. Funny people. Funny experience. #TheGospelIsSoTrue
On Thursday we had a church tour with our investigator, Paris, who goes to ECU. We brought the Lemmerts with us, and they helped explain some of the different rooms in the building. Sister Lemmert also explained the role of Relief Society to her. After the tour we read the introduction to the Book of Mormon and read Mosiah 18. Then we committed her to be baptized! On May 30th! That's two weeks too late! Oh well, that will be one fruit that I won't be able to partake.
Saturday was exciting! Sister Lemmert the sister missionaries left for a stake women's meeting up in Norman, so Elder Lemmert and all of us elders had the brilliant idea to plant a garden for Sister Lemmert and surpise her :) So we had a bachelor party at Lemmert villa. We planted corn, cilantro, and other exciting edible vegetation. #OkraIsForOkies
Well, the countdown is now just like counting the 25 days until Christmas. Yikes... The trunky jokes have commenced. There's a song from the Anchorage, Alaska Mission Soundtrack that I keep singing that's about not admitting that you're anxious to go home. So now I've got the end the transfer with a bang and prove to everyone that "I'm not trunky!!"
Enjoy yourself this week :)
Elder Garner
But I have so much for which to be grateful. We had a lot of great things happen this week. The biggest one was with Memery. A few weeks back we'd given her a copy of "Come and See" by David A. Bednar. This talk works miracles, especially once you get to the Elder Bednar's story of his son getting a scrape on his arm and having dishwashing soap and ointment put on his arm. We compared the dishwashing soap to the oftentimes painful process of repentance and the cleansing effect it has on our lives. We then compared the ointment to baptism and its cleansing effect and the beginning of renewed life. She discussed her fears about coming to church and taking the missionary discussions. She has things in her life that she needs to change, and after some pondering on her part, she realized that she was dreading the repentance process. She fully admitted she was making up excuses and trying to put off changing. She also realized that she has greater fears (like the 2nd coming) that are far greater than little things like crowds and feeling too sick to come to church. She recited to us our purpose (we hadn't even told her!) and brought the spirit into her own home. She told exactly what we were thinking. And the Spirit was way beyond powerful. She even identified those feelings without us even having to tell her. I'll tell ya, my friends, she taught me something.
She asked us if our sins could be forgiven, even when repeated throughout our lives. We explained to her that God wasn't looking for perfection, but that He is looking for progress is each of us. That progress comes from following the example of Jesus Christ, and as long as our deepest desire is to follow Him, strive to change, and improve ourselves, the Lord will forgive us. It was quite possibly the most spirit-filled and productive lesson we've had with her. The gospel is going to fill that home!
We found a less active this week named Bro. Frazier. We were told that he lived in the other elders' area, but a member ran into him at Walmart and got his new address, and he lives in our area! We went over to meet him, but his wife answered the door. She invited us to her church's bible study. She goes to the Faith Baptist Church. We decided to attend, and the less active was running the bible study! We started with a prayer, and he gave the most Mormon prayer a less active could give! He's totally a Mormon deep down! Of all the chapters to choose from, he chose James 1. How perfect for missionary work ;) We were told to read two verses each. Of all the verses I got assigned to read, I read the famous James 1:5-6. I made sure to read it in an extra deep and pronounced voice ;) And after that he asked for the group's thoughts and insights on the chapter. We were the first people he asked for our thoughts. HA, he knows the significance of this chapter in the restored gospel. Eventually we had to leave, and when we got up, he goes, "See y'all? Baptists and Mormons can study the Bible together!" I laughed inwardly. How funny. Funny people. Funny experience. #TheGospelIsSoTrue
On Thursday we had a church tour with our investigator, Paris, who goes to ECU. We brought the Lemmerts with us, and they helped explain some of the different rooms in the building. Sister Lemmert also explained the role of Relief Society to her. After the tour we read the introduction to the Book of Mormon and read Mosiah 18. Then we committed her to be baptized! On May 30th! That's two weeks too late! Oh well, that will be one fruit that I won't be able to partake.
Saturday was exciting! Sister Lemmert the sister missionaries left for a stake women's meeting up in Norman, so Elder Lemmert and all of us elders had the brilliant idea to plant a garden for Sister Lemmert and surpise her :) So we had a bachelor party at Lemmert villa. We planted corn, cilantro, and other exciting edible vegetation. #OkraIsForOkies
Well, the countdown is now just like counting the 25 days until Christmas. Yikes... The trunky jokes have commenced. There's a song from the Anchorage, Alaska Mission Soundtrack that I keep singing that's about not admitting that you're anxious to go home. So now I've got the end the transfer with a bang and prove to everyone that "I'm not trunky!!"
Enjoy yourself this week :)
Elder Garner
Wednesday, April 15, 2015
04/13/2015
Some good news is that Memery and Zavior aren't moving to Holdenville anymore. They've decided to move to Oregon in about a month from now. They've been changing their plans a lot lately, so we'll see if that actually happens. All is well over there! #FalseAlarm
We had a good discussion with one of our drunk investigators, Robert. We happened to catch him sober, and we talked about some of his goals in life and what he wants to accomplish. We've decided that Robert is a good resource for finding new people, so we're going to keep finding new investigators through him. Robert doesn't seem to remember me, but he remembers my companion and one of the other elders really well and always asks where he's at. #TheOtherGuy
We did a lot of finding and street contacting this past week. We felt like we needed to spice things up in our area, so we talked to some new people. The weather over here's been amazing, so lots of people are outside. We met a new investigator named Paris. She goes to ECU and used to live in Maysville, close to Pauls Valley. We also had a member invite one of his friends to church on Sunday. His name's Jimmy. Apparently he had a heart attack outside and his neighbor called 911. He lived through it, and the member helped pay his water bill and invited him to church. Member missionary work!!
We were walking down main street earlier this week, and this massive guy with tattoos everywhere pulled up on his motorcycle. We thought we were about to get jumped, so we kept walking unto he beckoned us over. Then we found out his name was Jerry and that he was a member that moved from San Diego. He's extremely less active, but it was neat miracle! We talked to him about his upbringing in the church and his friends and family that are all members. The missionaries in San Diego used to live next to him. He's had a lot of Mormon influences throughout his life. He's a pretty neat guy all around.
Friday was really neat. I went on exchanges to my old branch of Pauls Valley, Oklahoma. I had the opportunity to meet some people that I'd never really met before while I was there. I wasn't in Sulphur, but I recognized some people that lived there, and they even remembered me! One family in particular was the Bishops. The mom had been less active since age 17 and had been in and out of the military with her husband. Both are now on disability, but they own an antique consignment shop in Pauls Valley. Back when I was in Sulphur, we called Sister Bishop to see if we could get her address and visit with her. "How did you get my number?" she asked us. We told her that her number was simply on the roster. She agreed and gave us her address. We referred her to the Pauls Valley elders and they began teaching her husband and two kids and reactivating her. They are now getting sealed on May 23rd. It's pretty incredible how much growth there's been in that branch from when I first got there till now. They are bursting at the seems for a new building and to become a ward. #FruitsInTheValley
Saturday was when I exchanged back to Ada. On the way back we stopped in Stratford and said hi to the Kelleys. I love that family :) When we got back we got called up to do lots of service. We helped a member mow his yard and help a recent convert's non-member husband put up a wall for a shed.
Sometimes I think nothing exciting happens in my week, but then I look at everything I just wrote and realize that so much stuff happens every week! I remembered that today was the day I got baptized! It's been 13 years to the day! I'm now a teenager in the gospel. Ha, let's imagine me repeating those years. Elder and Sister Lemmert showed up to Ada and started their mission not long after I got to Ada in October last year. After being around them for six months now, Sister Lemmert informed me I look and act more mature. What a compliment! If there's been a noticeable difference in six months, I wonder what differences two years will show.
Y'all can be the judge of that. For now, enjoy your April showers!
Elder Garner
We had a good discussion with one of our drunk investigators, Robert. We happened to catch him sober, and we talked about some of his goals in life and what he wants to accomplish. We've decided that Robert is a good resource for finding new people, so we're going to keep finding new investigators through him. Robert doesn't seem to remember me, but he remembers my companion and one of the other elders really well and always asks where he's at. #TheOtherGuy
We did a lot of finding and street contacting this past week. We felt like we needed to spice things up in our area, so we talked to some new people. The weather over here's been amazing, so lots of people are outside. We met a new investigator named Paris. She goes to ECU and used to live in Maysville, close to Pauls Valley. We also had a member invite one of his friends to church on Sunday. His name's Jimmy. Apparently he had a heart attack outside and his neighbor called 911. He lived through it, and the member helped pay his water bill and invited him to church. Member missionary work!!
We were walking down main street earlier this week, and this massive guy with tattoos everywhere pulled up on his motorcycle. We thought we were about to get jumped, so we kept walking unto he beckoned us over. Then we found out his name was Jerry and that he was a member that moved from San Diego. He's extremely less active, but it was neat miracle! We talked to him about his upbringing in the church and his friends and family that are all members. The missionaries in San Diego used to live next to him. He's had a lot of Mormon influences throughout his life. He's a pretty neat guy all around.
Friday was really neat. I went on exchanges to my old branch of Pauls Valley, Oklahoma. I had the opportunity to meet some people that I'd never really met before while I was there. I wasn't in Sulphur, but I recognized some people that lived there, and they even remembered me! One family in particular was the Bishops. The mom had been less active since age 17 and had been in and out of the military with her husband. Both are now on disability, but they own an antique consignment shop in Pauls Valley. Back when I was in Sulphur, we called Sister Bishop to see if we could get her address and visit with her. "How did you get my number?" she asked us. We told her that her number was simply on the roster. She agreed and gave us her address. We referred her to the Pauls Valley elders and they began teaching her husband and two kids and reactivating her. They are now getting sealed on May 23rd. It's pretty incredible how much growth there's been in that branch from when I first got there till now. They are bursting at the seems for a new building and to become a ward. #FruitsInTheValley
Saturday was when I exchanged back to Ada. On the way back we stopped in Stratford and said hi to the Kelleys. I love that family :) When we got back we got called up to do lots of service. We helped a member mow his yard and help a recent convert's non-member husband put up a wall for a shed.
Sometimes I think nothing exciting happens in my week, but then I look at everything I just wrote and realize that so much stuff happens every week! I remembered that today was the day I got baptized! It's been 13 years to the day! I'm now a teenager in the gospel. Ha, let's imagine me repeating those years. Elder and Sister Lemmert showed up to Ada and started their mission not long after I got to Ada in October last year. After being around them for six months now, Sister Lemmert informed me I look and act more mature. What a compliment! If there's been a noticeable difference in six months, I wonder what differences two years will show.
Y'all can be the judge of that. For now, enjoy your April showers!
Elder Garner
Wednesday, April 8, 2015
A Lightning Strike In A Summer Storm (04/06/2015)
General Conference week! What amazing talks that were given! We spent a lot of time inviting people and handing out #BecauseHeLives cards to people. We had a great turnout and had a lot of less active members and recent converts watch and enjoy General Conference. Memery even tevoed it and told us she would watch it. Zavior loved the Priesthood Session.
Well Monday was rather...shocking. Trust me, it gets punny. We had dinner at the Schuette's house. Somehow we ended up getting on the subject of getting tortured, and getting tazed came up. One thing led to another, and the member decided he wanted to show us what it was like to get tazed.
I was volunteered to be tazed.
So Elder Swensen, then Elder Tanner, then I got tazed. It was like a got a pinched by a giant. Definitely the most painful pinch I'd ever felt! All three of us got tazed right in the rear! #PhasedByTheTaze
The next day we did more service at the boot shop. We rearranged the store to fit more merchandise they'd ordered. I used a price tag gun for the first time! Really, I've had a lot of firsts this week. That evening we taught Book of Mormon class on Alma 42 about justice and mercy and the Atonement of Jesus Christ, preparatory for the Easter weekend we just had. I shared the covering up of the nicotine analogy as part of the lesson.
On Wednesday was April Fools! We got the sisters and the Lemmerts sooooo good :) We scared the sisters and all four of us elders knocked on their apartment windows all at the same time and then run off. It was a lot more exciting than I'm making it sound! And then we doorbell-ditched the Lemmerts, but they saw us pretty quickly. Older people are so vigilant... #ToCoolToBeFooled
That evening we met with Rusty once again. He's still working on paying off his debts and hopefully avoiding jail time. He has a friend and her two daughters currently living with him. His friend, Jamie, was a friend we'd met back in November around Thanksgiving time. She and her now ex-boyfriend, Tony, were the ones that my old companion and Bro. Bunner taught and testified to while I was pep-talking Rusty into choosing not to get drunk anymore. Funny enough, the pep talk worked...about three months later. We haven't seen Tony at all since then, but Jamie talked to us for a little bit, and we got to meet her two daughters, Patience and Cetieva. We taught them about the Book of Mormon and answered questions. Rusty even had questions about it, so we got to teach and testify to them of the Book of Mormon and taught them how to receive an answer to praying about the Book of Mormon. We told them they needed to pray and wait patiently to receive an answer. Patience enjoyed that :)
On Friday we had a pre-General Conference district lunch. I made pancakes and bacon, and Elder Tanner made scrambled eggs and hashbrowns. They turned out pretty yummy! Saturday morning the sisters and the other elders got a turn to make US lunch :) The elders bought the food, and the sisters, of course, cooked the food. It was perfect food for conference.
Which by the way, General Conference was fantastic and so enlightening. I kept getting nudged during the talks on marriage and post-missionary life. It's like that stuff's going to happen soon or something... And I don't understand what would get someone to oppose sustaining the prophet if they don't really mean to do it. 3rd Nephi 13:5 and 16 give us a good answer though: "...thou shalt not do as the hypocrites...that they may been seen of men. Verily I say unto you, they have their reward."
And wow, M. Russell Ballard's talk on raising the bar. I remember hearing that talk for the first time as a youth, and he followed up on it years later! And he told perspective missionaries and RMs to keep the bar raised! A couple conferences ago he even gave a talk on following up, and he did just that. Good job, apostle.
So, one last story. We got invited to a Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses for their Easter services on Friday. None of us had ever been before, so we thought we'd check it out. It was very interesting, and it was an overall spiritual service. They passed around the bread and wine in remembrance of the last supper. Only 144,000 people (the Anointed Ones) are allowed to partake of the bread and wine though. Respecting their beliefs, we passed it on. This made me so grateful for the sacrament and the renewal of covenants. Funny enough, we found a less active and an excommunicated member at the service. We hadn't seen both of them in a couple months, so I'm pleased that there was a purpose in all that. We got tons of fellowship after the service, and they gave all of us a New World Translation of the Bible. They were very respectful, and I have a lot of respect for them.
Okay, one last story pertaining to the work. Some interesting events took place with Memery and Zavior. They got attacked by their neighbors... The cops have been involved for a while now, but now they've decided to get out of the situation. They are moving to Holdenville this week, and they will be attending the Seminole branch. They are both on board with the Church still, and they're excited to watch their recording of General Conference. It'll be sad watching them leave, but this will allow them to live in a better situation, and it'll get the ball rolling for Memery.
Not to leave this update on a sad note or anything--this week really was fantastic. A lot of great things happened, and it's going to keep up! We'll work through the mess, even when lightning strikes in a summer storm. God will lift us higher than ever before. I know it.
Elder Garner
Well Monday was rather...shocking. Trust me, it gets punny. We had dinner at the Schuette's house. Somehow we ended up getting on the subject of getting tortured, and getting tazed came up. One thing led to another, and the member decided he wanted to show us what it was like to get tazed.
I was volunteered to be tazed.
So Elder Swensen, then Elder Tanner, then I got tazed. It was like a got a pinched by a giant. Definitely the most painful pinch I'd ever felt! All three of us got tazed right in the rear! #PhasedByTheTaze
The next day we did more service at the boot shop. We rearranged the store to fit more merchandise they'd ordered. I used a price tag gun for the first time! Really, I've had a lot of firsts this week. That evening we taught Book of Mormon class on Alma 42 about justice and mercy and the Atonement of Jesus Christ, preparatory for the Easter weekend we just had. I shared the covering up of the nicotine analogy as part of the lesson.
On Wednesday was April Fools! We got the sisters and the Lemmerts sooooo good :) We scared the sisters and all four of us elders knocked on their apartment windows all at the same time and then run off. It was a lot more exciting than I'm making it sound! And then we doorbell-ditched the Lemmerts, but they saw us pretty quickly. Older people are so vigilant... #ToCoolToBeFooled
That evening we met with Rusty once again. He's still working on paying off his debts and hopefully avoiding jail time. He has a friend and her two daughters currently living with him. His friend, Jamie, was a friend we'd met back in November around Thanksgiving time. She and her now ex-boyfriend, Tony, were the ones that my old companion and Bro. Bunner taught and testified to while I was pep-talking Rusty into choosing not to get drunk anymore. Funny enough, the pep talk worked...about three months later. We haven't seen Tony at all since then, but Jamie talked to us for a little bit, and we got to meet her two daughters, Patience and Cetieva. We taught them about the Book of Mormon and answered questions. Rusty even had questions about it, so we got to teach and testify to them of the Book of Mormon and taught them how to receive an answer to praying about the Book of Mormon. We told them they needed to pray and wait patiently to receive an answer. Patience enjoyed that :)
On Friday we had a pre-General Conference district lunch. I made pancakes and bacon, and Elder Tanner made scrambled eggs and hashbrowns. They turned out pretty yummy! Saturday morning the sisters and the other elders got a turn to make US lunch :) The elders bought the food, and the sisters, of course, cooked the food. It was perfect food for conference.
Which by the way, General Conference was fantastic and so enlightening. I kept getting nudged during the talks on marriage and post-missionary life. It's like that stuff's going to happen soon or something... And I don't understand what would get someone to oppose sustaining the prophet if they don't really mean to do it. 3rd Nephi 13:5 and 16 give us a good answer though: "...thou shalt not do as the hypocrites...that they may been seen of men. Verily I say unto you, they have their reward."
And wow, M. Russell Ballard's talk on raising the bar. I remember hearing that talk for the first time as a youth, and he followed up on it years later! And he told perspective missionaries and RMs to keep the bar raised! A couple conferences ago he even gave a talk on following up, and he did just that. Good job, apostle.
So, one last story. We got invited to a Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses for their Easter services on Friday. None of us had ever been before, so we thought we'd check it out. It was very interesting, and it was an overall spiritual service. They passed around the bread and wine in remembrance of the last supper. Only 144,000 people (the Anointed Ones) are allowed to partake of the bread and wine though. Respecting their beliefs, we passed it on. This made me so grateful for the sacrament and the renewal of covenants. Funny enough, we found a less active and an excommunicated member at the service. We hadn't seen both of them in a couple months, so I'm pleased that there was a purpose in all that. We got tons of fellowship after the service, and they gave all of us a New World Translation of the Bible. They were very respectful, and I have a lot of respect for them.
Okay, one last story pertaining to the work. Some interesting events took place with Memery and Zavior. They got attacked by their neighbors... The cops have been involved for a while now, but now they've decided to get out of the situation. They are moving to Holdenville this week, and they will be attending the Seminole branch. They are both on board with the Church still, and they're excited to watch their recording of General Conference. It'll be sad watching them leave, but this will allow them to live in a better situation, and it'll get the ball rolling for Memery.
Not to leave this update on a sad note or anything--this week really was fantastic. A lot of great things happened, and it's going to keep up! We'll work through the mess, even when lightning strikes in a summer storm. God will lift us higher than ever before. I know it.
Elder Garner
Monday, March 30, 2015
Painting Over Our Sins (03/30/2015)
This is it, fellas. My last transfer of the mission officially begins this week. Elder Tanner is staying with me in Ada, so I will be finishing my mission here! And what a blessing that is....because I can't take anymore surprises.
But here's one for you: Oklahoma got tornadoes this week! But good thing none of them hit Ada. One touched down in Moore near Oklahoma City, and another one hit somewhere southeast of Tulsa. We were told to have a tornado shelter and keep in contact with members of our ward so we'd be aware if a tornado was coming. On Wednesday, Ada received heavy rain, lightning flashes, and high wind speeds, but nothing close to a tornado. It was pretty entertaining watching all the Okies standing out on their porches looking at the clouds. Okay, we were doing the same...
Aside from all the crazy weather, we have transfer news! Y'all already know I'm staying in Ada to finish my mission, but everyone else in Ada stayed the same as well. We had six areas in my mission close... Sad news. The missionaries of the age-change era are leaving! We were all pretty nervous about one of the Ada areas closing, but the Lord shed His mercy all over Pontotoc County.
This week we did a lot of service. I got to help paint a large wooden work table with shelves, about as big as my entertainment center back home. All the paint was lumpy, was when it dried there were lumps all over the work table #PaintClots And then on Thursday we helped one of the sister's investigators paint the domed section of his wall that touches the ceiling. There were nicotine marks all over the walls. Fortunately the entire room is covered in cabinets, so we only had to paint the section of wall that was between the cabinets and the ceiling, but it took a lot of work to cover up those stains. All throughout service I was being taught a spiritual lesson about forgiveness and repentance, and I wasn't even realizing it. I thought about how we can remove our sins without having to cover them up. I kept thinking, "Is there a way that these walls can be washed? And then have them repainted in white?" Though it may be appealing and convenient for us to simply cover up our sins, at one point or another those sins will show up again, weather from memory or from temptation to do them again. The white will most likely disappear and you will need to do it all over again. Wouldn't it be so much easier just to get rid of the sin once and not have to keep covering it up over and over again?
And lately Elder Tanner and I have been attracting all the town drunks. We got two new investigators this week. We met them a week before last, but we finally taught them on a day that they didn't happen to be wasted. So now I'm taking a look at the Addiction Recovery Program that the Church puts out. I've never looked at it before, but just from the little bit that I've read, it's powerful even for those that don't have an addiction. The closest ARP class the Church has around here is in Norman, so we want to teach it to people here to the best of our ability. We'll probably get the Lemmerts involved since they're older and are more mature in these matters :)
And for the most part, Ada is only 100% amazing, and so is this work. It's time to wash away our sins and not just cover them up.
Elder Garner
But here's one for you: Oklahoma got tornadoes this week! But good thing none of them hit Ada. One touched down in Moore near Oklahoma City, and another one hit somewhere southeast of Tulsa. We were told to have a tornado shelter and keep in contact with members of our ward so we'd be aware if a tornado was coming. On Wednesday, Ada received heavy rain, lightning flashes, and high wind speeds, but nothing close to a tornado. It was pretty entertaining watching all the Okies standing out on their porches looking at the clouds. Okay, we were doing the same...
Aside from all the crazy weather, we have transfer news! Y'all already know I'm staying in Ada to finish my mission, but everyone else in Ada stayed the same as well. We had six areas in my mission close... Sad news. The missionaries of the age-change era are leaving! We were all pretty nervous about one of the Ada areas closing, but the Lord shed His mercy all over Pontotoc County.
This week we did a lot of service. I got to help paint a large wooden work table with shelves, about as big as my entertainment center back home. All the paint was lumpy, was when it dried there were lumps all over the work table #PaintClots And then on Thursday we helped one of the sister's investigators paint the domed section of his wall that touches the ceiling. There were nicotine marks all over the walls. Fortunately the entire room is covered in cabinets, so we only had to paint the section of wall that was between the cabinets and the ceiling, but it took a lot of work to cover up those stains. All throughout service I was being taught a spiritual lesson about forgiveness and repentance, and I wasn't even realizing it. I thought about how we can remove our sins without having to cover them up. I kept thinking, "Is there a way that these walls can be washed? And then have them repainted in white?" Though it may be appealing and convenient for us to simply cover up our sins, at one point or another those sins will show up again, weather from memory or from temptation to do them again. The white will most likely disappear and you will need to do it all over again. Wouldn't it be so much easier just to get rid of the sin once and not have to keep covering it up over and over again?
And lately Elder Tanner and I have been attracting all the town drunks. We got two new investigators this week. We met them a week before last, but we finally taught them on a day that they didn't happen to be wasted. So now I'm taking a look at the Addiction Recovery Program that the Church puts out. I've never looked at it before, but just from the little bit that I've read, it's powerful even for those that don't have an addiction. The closest ARP class the Church has around here is in Norman, so we want to teach it to people here to the best of our ability. We'll probably get the Lemmerts involved since they're older and are more mature in these matters :)
And for the most part, Ada is only 100% amazing, and so is this work. It's time to wash away our sins and not just cover them up.
Elder Garner
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