Letter Sent on November 5, 2012

Dear Family,

This week has been really quite good! This past week Elder Hem and I were in Sen Sok for a few days and we were trying to get the area nice and ready for 2 other Elders to "whitewash" it.  It was really fun proselyting with him and it was just like "old times"! We had to go back and forth to the city for meetings and stuff and to help him move his stuff to a new house that they were moving the Elders into.  We said our goodbyes to the members and tried to get everything ready for the new Elders.  I love the members there and I feel that I was only there for a blink of an eye.  Time keeps rolling forward-pretty scary. I feel like my time in the mission is so short.  I am going to make the most of it and work my absolute hardest! I love what President Uchtdorf talked about during conference about finding joy in the journey and that is what I am going to try and do.
Welp, now I am in Ta Khmao(in Phnom Penh, my first real "city"area) with Elder Sem; and I love the area here! Elder Sem and I are getting along really well.  I really love the area and am enjoying getting to know the members here.  It is kinda hard starting in a new area and not really knowing anyone and having to learn and adjust to everything; however, Elder Sem is awesome and is really great at helping me come to know the area.  We have a great investigator named Om Ciamin, he is the father in a family of 4 and his wife and 2 children are members.  He is about ready to be baptized and should be baptized this week! I love meeting with him and his family and seeing how his wife and children are supporting him and sharing their love and testimonies with him.  I've only met with him a couple of times but I love seeing how his family supports him and teaching them as a family. That's the way teaching should be.   I feel that something that we are going to really try and work on is finding families and really praying for that specifically.
I know that this work is true and that the Lord will sustain us and guide us as we submit to Him.  I know that prayer has power and I know that our Loving Father always listens and is always near.  I am excited to be serving here in Ta Khmao! I hope that you have a great week and know that you are in my prayers.  I love you so much! Thanks for everything I love hearing from you.

Love,
Elder Garlick

Pictures @ the Combok Waterfall we went to as a Zone last week! And some other pics.

Letter Sent on October 29, 2012

Dear Family,

Hey! How's it going? I hope you had a great week! Well for me, this week was.... pretty crazy! Probably one of the craziest of my mission. 
Well I haven't mentioned this prior-because I considered it private-but Elder Sprinkle actually has depression, and is actually diagnosed as having bi polar disorder.  He has had it his whole mission and has been pushing through and battling with it, despite being asked a number of times if he would like to go home.  He actually has not been diagnosed with any medication and there is no way for him to receive any here in Cambodia; so he has just had to push through.  I really admire him so much for that and for his love for the Lord and his desire to do the work.  However, as of late it was getting to be really hard and he was getting just so worn from battling it every day for the past 20 months and it was just beating him up.  Both he and President Moon prayed about it and both received revelation that it was time that he go back to America and receive the medication that he needs.  President Moon and his family did a dinner for him and there was a general authority there (Elder Wilson of the 70; who was here for a District Conference) and we were able to take care of all the things that he wanted to do before he left. Elder Sprinkle was honorably released and he went back home to Maryland on Friday.
I am grateful that things worked out the way that they did.  It was so neat to hear about the revelation that both Elder Sprinkle and President Moon received that helped them both know that it was time for him to go get the treatment that he needed.  I remember talking to him about it and he might have felt a little sad about leaving a few months early(which is to be expected); however, he said he was really at peace with the whole deal and I'm sure very excited to be reunited with his family once again.  It was confirmed that it was the right time to go home and that he had served the full mission that the Lord wanted him to serve.  I am very proud of him.  I really do love Elder Sprinkle so much!  He really was one of my favorite companions, he was an amazing missionary and he still is! Although there were unexpected obstacles I very much enjoyed and grew tons from the time that we had to serve together.  I really learned so much from him and a lot about patience and about being more charitable.  I miss him but I am excited for him to get the medicine and relief that he deserves.
Afterwards I was with one of the APs, Elder Pearson, for a day-which was crazy because I got to help translate for President Moon and Elder Wilson! I was pretty nervous about doing it but it turned out being pretty fun:)
And right now Elder Hem and I are proselyting in Sen Sok which is very fun and effective.  We both know the area really good and we are excited to meet with the investigators and members here whom we have grown to love.  And then last night was transfer calls-and it turns out I am being transferred to another area just outside the city called Tak Kamou! It was extremely unexpected because I have only been in Sen Sok for 2 transfers and not the "usual 4".  I honestly have mixed feelings-I am sad to leave because I love this area and the members here a lot and I was really looking forward to serving them longer-however, I am so very excited to go and to serve in Tak Kamou!  Elder Hem and me will be proselyting here in Sen Sok together until transfers on Friday-we will do our best and work our very hardest!  I have got to go cause we are going to have fun at some mountain place today and right now I am being hurried! Thanks for everything you do!  Okay, I love you! Talk with you again next week!

Love,
Elder Garlick

Letter Sent on October 22, 2012

 Dear Family,

Hi how are you?? I hope that all is going well and that life is good.  Things here in Sen Sok are going pretty good.  I am afraid I really don't have too much to say this past week about the area; Elder Sprinkle was feeling sick; and we went to Phnom Penh for a couple of days for Conference! I was so excited for it and it did not disappoint! (Maybe this is old news; but hey we were 2 weeks behind this time!) It was an amazing conference and it really lifted me up and strengthened my testimony.  There was such a strong Spirit there and there was just so much pure doctrine taught and powerful testimonies borne. 
I love this Gospel and I love this Church.  It is indeed so inspired and truly is the Lord's Kingdom.  Lately, I have thought more about what a blessing it is to have a prophet..and indeed it is! Could you imagine having to go through life not knowing the truth or not having the direction and counsel of the Lord's servants? That would be so hard.  I feel so blessed that we have the leaders that we do.  It just goes to show the great love which our Heavenly Father has for each of us.  We may not be able to see Him now, but He has blessed us with prophets whose inspired teachings come straight from Him to guide us back to Him.  I know that President Thomas S. Monson is a true prophet! I was touched by his words and incredible example of following the Holy Ghost.  By the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.  I know that the Holy Ghost bore testimony to me of the divinity of this church.  I am excited to further study and ponder the teachings from Conference and see the difference that it makes.
May we all "follow the prophet he knows the way"! I love you and I hope that you have a great week.

Love,
Elder Garlick

Pics; When we go to the city we always try and go somewhere good to eat (because there is 0% good restaurants in Sen Sok, serious, we have looked for a while..) and we went to this Japanese place, Shabu Shabu.  It's pretty cool you have like a soup boiling in front of you and there is a conveyer belt of sushi and meets going by and you can cook it and stuff! Pretty good stuff.
Bike shot of the city. Me and my new friends:) (I was probably lucky to not be kicked.) One of the funnest parts of Conference was hanging out with people from my MTC group.  Here is Elder Barney(my favorite companion) Elder Kaufman, me, Elder Sprinkle. Elder Decker. Elder Jongsma. Okay peace out!

Letter Sent on October 15, 2012

 Dearest Family,


This week in Sen Sok was pretty good! One of our investigator whose name is, Om Gumtii, was baptized yesterday.  It was a very special baptism and she was so happy! She wanted to receive the blessings of baptism so much; probably more than anyone I have taught before, she would tell us how badly she wanted to be baptized and to become a member of Christ's Church.  She would say that when she saw others have their baptisms she wanted to cry she wanted it so bad! After the baptism she went up on the stand and shared a powerful testimony and a desire to follow Christ until the end. She had a lot of adversity and things competing for her attention these past couple of weeks-trying to get a new "family book" which is pretty much identification and birth records for the whole family all put together in a book; something very very important here-and yeah, it was taking a lot of time because she had to go to different meetings and go to Phnom Penh a bunch of times. It was indeed a miracle that she made the time to meet us and also that she was able to be baptized was just so amazing! She has a desire to share the gospel, she had 2 of her daughters both come to church with her grandchildren so that they could join in for the baptism.  They stayed for the full 3 hours and one of them has a desire to learn with us-which is very exciting:)
Anywho, things here in the area are going just swell, we are doing are best and we really do see miracles everyday.  I came across this scripture this morning that really hit me, Alma 57:27, "Now this was the faith of these of whom I have spoken; they are young, and their minds are firm, and they do put their trust in God continually."  I love the example of the Stripling Warriors, I love reading the Book of Mormon and feeling of the sweet Spirit, which it invites.  I know that it is truly the word of God.  I have read it and I have prayed about it-the peace that I have felt when I do so and the Spirit that I feel continues to be a witness to me of it's divinity.  I hope that we can all  who is like unto the Stripling Warriors; faithful, firm, and trusting in the Lord.
I love you all and I pray that the Lord will continue to bless you and watch over you.  You really are a light to me and I love you dearly! Have a super week!


Love,
Elder Garlick

Pics; This was a less actives home who we were trying to find, they weren't home but their barking dog was! Elder Sprinkle, in action. Om Gumtii and her fam plus some members, Om Gumtii, her fam, and a couple of white guys:)

Letter Sent on October 8, 2012

Dear Family,

I love Elder Sprinkle and he has so many great ideas and insights on how to do missionary work.  We are trying to set regular dates and times to meet with investigators, less actives, and recent converts. We also have a desire to go and try to find Less Actives and help them come back to the fold.  Elder Sprinkle is an amazing Elder and I am so blessed to be companions with him.
This week in Sen Sok was pretty good! We had a great lesson with a lady named Ming Map, who is a less active member who has some children who are active members and actually her son-in-law, Bong Mauv, is learning with us right now.  She is a very funny lady and she is very sarcastic, haha:) We ended up talking about prayer and praying with our families. I remember she used to not be praying and now she says she is praying but not quite everyday and she also talked about praying with her family before eating too.  It was great to see her smile as she talked about her experience with prayer in her family.  I think that she definitely felt of the Spirit.  I am so grateful for all of you and for the opportunity that I had to share about how praying with my family has blessed my family.  I really am so grateful for that and for you.  I have fond memories of praying together before school and every night.  Prayer is such a blessing and looking back I see how it helped and continues to help us feel greater love for one another and for the Lord. At the end of the lesson she gave a really sincere prayer asking for help with coming back to church and being a strong member again. She even came to church on Sunday too! I love her and her family and I am confident that she is going to become a strong and active member again.
I actually don't get to watch conference until 2 weeks later because there is a Cambodian holiday or something this week.  However I am so very excited!! I have hear some really exciting things happened!:)
I love being a missionary and I love the opportunity to serve.  I know that this work is true.  I love you! Have a terrrrific week!

Love,
Elder Garlick

PS. I just figured out that you can look on LDS.org where missionaries in your stake are serving! Crazy! I'm like freaking out seeing were all these friends have left after me are going! Tanner Eastmond is in Elder Mathis' mission. Wow crazy!! Wow! I guess I have been on my mission for a while if I get this pumped seeing other missionaries mission calls!!! Haha, Wow!!.. okay. I need to chill out.. Talk to you next week:)
Pics; Kids playing soccer, Cute balding neighbor boy haha:), The Sun, in Cambodia! This "Chaa" (Stir Fry) It was a pineapple chaa, not gonna lie I can kinda cook now. This is the road that we have to bike down all the time to go to Phnom Penh.

Letter Sent on October 1, 2012

Dear Fam Fam,

Hey, how are you? I am doing great. Things are going great, I am in Phnom Penh right now emailing you...fun stuff! It is pretty crazy biking around in the big city.  It is nothing like biking on the side of the road in Lehi that's for sure!  It is crazy how close all of the cars and motos get and it is always like my "spidey senses are tingling"! Haha, fun stuff.  But yeah it's a good hour long bike ride to go to the mission home...but hey we are getting good exercise right?

Things here in Sen Sok are going well. This past week we had an investigator recieve baptism and it was the old branch president's grandson named Bol.  His parents are not members but he lives right by his other family members that are members.  He is being a great example for his family and friends.  He was so excited to be baptized and their was a lot of support from the Primary kids and the Primary Presidency. He was very nervous and excited but he was so happy afterwards.  We will continue to strengthen him and help make sure his family will continue to support him as well.  His uncle Cenda and other members that live around him help him and would help him get to church.  We will help make him strong. 

Elder Sprinkle is awesome! He is a really funny guy and he is a great missionary, we get along great and I am learning a lot from him.

I came across a verse today in Alma 53:10 and it kinda hit me how the people of Ammon were converted unto the Lord because of the word and power of God not by the missionaries. I started studying more about conversion and I am learning more about conversion through the Spirit and how this is the real "aim" for the investigators, the members, and even myself-indeed for all of us!  It just seemed to "click" a little bit more today.  I am excited to study more about conversion.  I still remember what Elder Bednar talked about at Christmas many months ago, he talked about how testimony is not enough we need to become truly converted.  He said that, "Testimony is to know something to be true and Conversion is being true to what you know."  I hope that I can continue to help the people here in Cambodia in growing in testimony but even more than that to become more converted.  I am grateful for my testimony and for the conversion I have already experienced and will continue to experience on my mission and throughout my life.  Things are going good here in Sen Sok and we'll work our hardest!  I love you, and I hope that you have an awesome Conference weekend!!

Love,

Elder Garlick

 

Pics. Bol and Friends. Guy plowing a field.

Letter Sent on September 24, 2012

Dear Family,

 

 

Hey! How's it going?? This past week things have been going really good! It seems like it has gone by so quickly! Like somtimes it's hard to even remember what new things have happened! But yeah there have been a lot of exciting things happening here in Sen Sok. 
We had a baptism this past week with Ming Sophea! She is an incredible woman.  Her baptism went well and I feel that she had a great experience.  It was so great to see her be baptized and to enter into this covenant and start a new life as a disciple of Jesus Christ.  I am very grateful for her and for the progress that she has made.  I remember when we taught her the Word of Wisdom and she told us that she used to occasionally drink with her friends but that when she started learning with us she stopped and therefore, she had already stopped drinking even before we taught her about it.  She has just such a strong desire to do good and she really always tells us that the things we teach her are good.  Anywho, it was just great seeing the progress she has made and how the members have helped her.  I feel so blessed to be able to serve, I know that I am very imperfect and I know that the great success and growth here is not from me but is the work of the Lord.  I am just grateful for His love in letting me be a part of it. 

This week with transfers I said bye bye to Elder Hem, who is an amazing missionary who has really taught me so much; and said hello to Elder Sprinkle! I am really so excited to be serving with him. He is from Maryland, and he has about 5 months left on his mission. We have only been companions for a few days now but we have already been doing some great work and have had some great lessons in which the Holy Ghost has guided us.  I love how Elder Sprinkle listens to the members and investigators with love, and then on top of that he also listens for the Spirit and follows the promptings he receives.  I am already learning a lot and I am confident that we will see some great things continue to happen in Sen Sok! We are going to exercise faith in especially finding a new family.  We get along real good and I am excited for things to come! I love the Lord and I love His Gospel.

Thank you for all that you do and for your letters of encouragement and love.  I hope you know that I really really do love you!  And I pray that you will have a fantastic week this week. 

 

Love,
Elder Garlick

 

Pics; Pekdei and Pektra and Preahkompii Momon; Picture doesn't do this sunset justice at all! Elder Hem is very talented;) Flowers. Ming Sophea and friends, Elder Sprinkle is in the back! And Elder Sprinkle showed me to this Belgiam restaurant that has the famous "Bazooka Burger" a missionary favorite;)