As circumstances would have it, I didn't have enough time to report on the events that happened last week. My time was occupied discussing matters with my mission president about the area. I'll try to make up for last week!
So Monday (September 8th) we drove up to Norman and stayed the night with the Norman 2nd Elders, one of which is Elder Birch, formerly in Altus. I am so jealous he's in the "waters of Norman." He's probably having so much fun... Ahhh the good old days! The next day we attended our mission tour with Bradley D. Foster. We learned about prayer and how to work with ward leaders to create a vision for them and for the wards/branches we serve in. And guess what? No iPads...yet. Everyone in the mission was holding their breath to hear if we were getting iPads, but sadly, that is not the case. Yet.
We had some great finding miracles this week. We talked to a a guy named Brian and his girlfriend, Courtney. Courtney's dad, as it turns out, is a member up in one of the Moore wards. A couple days later we found out that she got baptized at age 8. So...she's a member! We got her birthday and her info, and we requested her records that Sunday! I love finding those kind of people. The lost sheep. Saturday was the Altus Air Show, the first air show Altus had ever done! It felt like walking around Lagoon all day! My feet were so tired by the end. We got permission from our president to go to it since we figured hardly anyone would be home. AND! A part-member family from Mangum stopped us and told us to come by and visit them! And they have a daughter that hasn't been baptized yet! Their names also aren't on the rolls. The bishopric is going to be so proud of us. The three other elders got sunburnt from the Air Show, but I got a pretty sweet tan! With all the fighter jets and airplanes, I fit right in with my aviator sunglasses.
Last Tuesday, the 16th, we went over to Lawton and had our Zone Conference. Meetings after meetings, I'll tell ya. We learned about our teaching skills as a missionary and how we can ask questions to allow the spirit to teach our investigators rather than us just lecturing them. The previous day the zone leaders challenged me to bear my testimony to my district. I decided to take it step further by bearing my testimony during testimony meeting after the zone conference. It turned out I had a lot more to be grateful for than what I was planning on saying! But oh, how grateful I was for the opportunity to allow others to feel the same spirit I'd felt all throughout the meeting. I loved it. Bearing my testimony to other missionaries is something I don't do enough.
On Thursday, Elder Garcia and I got to go to Mangum to visit the family that we ran into at the Air Show. Unfortunately only two of their kids were home. The mom was at Parent Teacher Conferences with her other daughter. Man, remember those?! But we had a fun visit with their kids. Their house is full of chaos and entertainment, I love it. They are rapidly becoming a favorite of mine in this area. The kids haven't been to church in a long time, so it's going to take us some time to get them reintroduced to the gospel and rekindle the testimonies they gained long ago. They loved having us over, and we're looking forward to going back!
Then Saturday came "Hollis Day." We experienced the same thing we did in Mangum, but in Hollis! We had plans to tract out part of the town, but we spent the whole time meeting the two families there and getting to know them better. We also have plans to go back there this Saturday. I just love road-trip days when we can go to outlying towns.
Last Friday I randomly heard a song that I listened to back at BYU. It was after our District Meeting during lunch at Taco Bell, of all places. It brought on some fresh memories. Some of you may recognize the song lyrics, but it goes something like, "who do you need? Who do you love when you come undone?" At such a time when I've felt like coming undone, I kept asking myself "Elder Garner, who do you love?" Was I turning to the Savior enough? Was I trusting in others to let them help me? I kept reflecting on that as I was sitting in the chapel in Lawton listening to everyone's testimonies. As the pounding in my chest got heavier and heavier I knew the spirit was testifying of the words that all the other missionaries had spoken. I felt prompted to share likewise. And how grateful I was to have not missed out on that opportunity as well as the opportunity to serve here.
Elder Garner
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