Elder Seth Garner

HELLO!

        Well I have made it through my first week in the field! You are all probably wondering where I am and how things are going. I guess Heavenly Father knew I don't mind the snow, because where I am, it snows every month of the year... Wait, it snows in San Diego? That's right, it's a little town called Julian, and it is AMAZING here! It is the only place with snow in my mission, and it is 4,000 feet above sea level. My first day in the field I spent an hour shoveling snow. Julian just opened up in our mission, and my companion and I are the first full time missionaries to serve here, and we are the ONLY missionaries here. My area is so large, it covers the snowy mountains and the dry desert. I am so blessed to have been sent to Julian, because the Julian Branch has been praying to receive some missionaries. This place needs a lot of work. I guess The Lord thinks I might be the right one for the job! My companion's name in Elder Dennison, and thankfully, he is the BEST. He is strides above where I am, and believes in exact obedience. I am super grateful to have him as a companion. I have been trying my hardest to work with exact obedience, and I think it's coming along really well. Here in Julian, there are a total of 25 active members who show up to church. As you might have guessed, since there are not a whole lot of people who come to sacrament, my companion and I basically run the Branch. My first sacrament meeting, I was able to pass the sacrament and give a talk. The little town of Julian is VERY interesting. Every house we visit is guaranteed to have at least three cats. The apple pies here are INCREDIBLE. There are llamas in the street. The branch president owns a gold mine in his backyard, and of course, it snows here. In fact, today we are expecting 16 inches. But the best part of all, are the people here. There is not a mean person in Julian. Even if we are turned down, it's always somehow in a nice, sincere way. Everyone grows there own food, and there is not a night where we aren't fed an amazing meal! Except for last night, that was the worst meal/experience of my life... But that is a story for another time. I have already had amazing spiritual experiences that I will never forget. Our goal here is to turn the Julian Branch into the Julian Ward. It won't be easy, but with the lord on our side, hard work and diligence, there is not a doubt in my mind that we can get this done. I hope you are enjoying the crappy weather back home, because I sure am enjoying the crappy weather here! THIS IS THE BEST PLACE TO BE!

Love you all,
Elder Garner