Elder Seth Garner

Tue, 15 Jul 2014 12:55

 All is well in San Diego!

Alright! Time to get out of this awful spell of being the worst person at emailing! If you have emailed me or written me a letter, I apologize for being such a slacker and not responding in a timely manner.

Well, the only way I can think to treat this email is like a letter to the mission president. That way, I can get you somewhat up to speed with all of the things that are going on!

How is the mission?

The mission is in excellent shape! Although we have a new mission president, things haven't been turned upside down. Things just keep moving forward as they should! All of the rules are still the same, but I am sure that President Schmitt will change things over time. Maybe some trips to Sea World are in the future? Haha! We have been helping President Schmitt mostly with this upcoming transfer. We got a good head start on it yesterday. We will be losing twenty-five missionaries and getting eighteen new ones. So, Elder Myler and I have essentially been choosing trainers and zone leaders for this next transfer, since President Schmitt is not too aware of who is who yet... Kind of crazy for us! I'll tell you, it is cool to see the revelation flow from him, even though he has only been here just a few weeks. The more information he has though, the better the revelation comes, which is where Elder Myler and I step in. We know just about everything there is to know about every missionary. It has been one wild ride!

How is my area?

La Mesa is rocking it right now! The members here are incredible! They are super loving, they are doing some stellar missionary work... Pretty much if you were to serve a mission here in the California San Diego Mission, the La Mesa 1st ward would be where you want to serve. Man, it is great! As of right now, we have two investigators with baptismal dates: Tina Anderson and Anthony Merchison. Tina is a 90 year old lady who is the FUNNIEST person alive! Holy smokes, she is golden! She has been coming to church for awhile now with a friend, and is set to be baptized on the 26th of this month. She just needs to quit that coffee before she makes the plunge! Anthony is fourteen, his grandma is a member, and he is one of the smartest kids I know. He recently went on Trek with the stake and had a super good experience. He is stoked to be baptized! He basically teaches us every time we go over there just because he is so darn smart! His baptismal date is for the 16th of August. We also had a couple more investigators come to church last Sunday (HECK YES!). Jo Anne Brooder and her daughter Sarah came to church for the first time, which was a huge miracle since Jo Anne has been one of the most stubborn people to get to church. I think I mentioned her in a previous email, she is the one who had a daughter commit suicide a few years back. They are doing solid! The plan is to soon get them with dates to be baptized for the near future. Things are just moving right along!

How am I doing in my companionship?

We are doing great :) (By the way, I usually don't put smiley faces in my text, but this answer calls for one.) Elder Myler is one of my best buds! It's a good thing too, because he will be with me longer than any of my other companions have. I love being able to have somebody to laugh about something that would normally upset other people. This month has been pretty relaxed for us training wise, but we have managed to keep busy with training President Schmitt. So, we are mentally and spiritually preparing ourselves for this next month, which is going to involve quite a bit of training from us for the mission! As of right now, both Elder Myler and I are obsessed with Mexican candy, which comes in a wide variety of fruit flavors with chili powder... Man, it is the greatest stuff in the world! It is definitely an acquired taste. The first time I tried it, it was the worst thing in the world. Now I am so into it that we always have to stop on our road trips to buy some... I will most likely send some home soon, haha!

How am I doing personally?

FLIPPIN' FANTASTIC! My life could not be better right now! Everything is going so well, I could not ask for anything better than to be where I am at. I recently had my first interview with President Schmitt, which really helped me out and instilled a lot more drive in me to just "go go go" these upcoming months. That was something that I had decided to do even before I got in the mission field: work my very hardest every day, so that I could report to the Lord and say that I did my best. Trust me, that is a good feeling! And not being able to say that in my nightly prayers is quite the opposite feeling. I have been blessed to be with incredible companions and put in certain situations that have helped me fulfill my desire of pushing my very best. The place that I feel I have grown the most, which I admittedly wasn't specifically here to do, is my relationship with the Savior. Since even before my mission I had the desire to help people gain a relationship with Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father. Who would have thought that that is one of the best ways to gain that for yourself? I have never intended my mission to be for me, but if anyone has changed the most because of it, I believe it is safe to say that I would be put in that category. My mission has changed me forever!

I hope that this email gave you a nice mental view of what my life is like. If not, I am going to try better in the future. Anywho, I have gotta jet. Just know that all is well in San Diego!

Love,

       Elder Garner

Elder Garner....somewhere in San Diego?

All is well in San Diego!!