Letter Sent on June 25, 2012

 

Dear Family,

Hey! How are you? I'm doing pretty good myself.  This week was a good one here in Battambang!  We have 3 investigators whom we are preparing to be baptized on the 7th of July.  Rhity, and a couple, Veasna and Davwii.  They are doing very good and it is very cool seeing them progress.  Rhity is extremely smart and speaks English, he was a referral from a member named Jin Viset that actually served a mission in Australia and is the 2nd Counselor in the District Presidency.  Veasna is the Elder's Quorum President's younger brother.  It really is great seeing how members who are referrals always seem to have a great amount of growth and a support system from their member friends.  It just really is strengthening my testimony of the power of member missionary work. I just want to help them better understand their baptismal covenant and the importance of developing a testimony and receiving that witness from God.

Last night was transfer calls and it turns out...I am staying in Battambang!  I was kinda nervous that I would be leaving! But I am very excited to have probably one more transfer here! I love it.(Typically you stay in an area for about 4 transfers but it's not a for )I have been growing a lot during this past transfer and I have really been being stretched.  I have been learning to get along better with Elder Jensen and I feel like we are becoming more unified and open with each other.  We are extremely different from each other like I believe I mentioned earlier but I am feel so blessed for the lessons I am learning; especially just learning to get along with others and overlook differences.  I am learning to be more Christ like.  And I am sure that he is as well:) There were sometimes where it was really tough but I feel that now things are going a lot better now and we are both striving to do our best.

I really do love Elder Jensen and am learning to love better.

I had the opportunity to go on an exchange with Elder Oleson and it went amazing.  We talked a lot about being unified and about ideas to better create unity in a companionship.  We also talked about submission a lot, submitting to the will of the Lord, and about becoming a true disciple of Christ.  I love Elder Oleson, I feel so blessed to be able to serve near him.  He is an incredible example of missionary work and of being Chris like.  He's a really funny guy too.  I sometimes really wish that I could be companions with him but I know that I have other lessons to learn and that the Lord knew I could learn what I needed from him just from serving near him.  This exchange was an answer to my prayers and exactly what I needed.  It just really lifted me up and gave me things to work on and renewed hope and purpose. 

This shows me even more that the Lord knows what He is doing.  I know that the Lord has a plan for me and it may not be according to exactly what I think I want but according to what is best for me.  I know that this is true for all of us.  And I feel so very blessed for that, to know that He knows what is best and everything that Father does for me is for my benefit. I know that this is true for all of us.  I love the Lord and I am thankful for the mountains that He gives me to climb and for the strength and support that he bestows upon me.  I know that He loves us.  May we all recognize that He knows what is best and be willing to trust in the Lord and move forward with faith and confidence?  As we do so we will be led to the Light of the World, even Jesus Christ.

I love you all and am thankful for your prayers in my behalf.  I pray that the Lord will bless you and that you might have a great week! God be with you till we meet again.

Love,

Elder Garlick

Great talks to check out!:"Mountains to Climb "Pres. Eyring "Faith: The Choice is Yours "Bishop Edgley (think I already recommended that one once already but I love it! Worth reading twice:)

Pics; We went to this Mountain named Phnom Sumphouv and its a bat mountain and there is a certain time of dusk when just millions of bats fly out of a cave for like a half hour.  Too bad we were miss informed on the time and we hiked it and by the time we got back down to watch the bats it was too late...but we are planning to go again this next transfer! So no worries:) It was super pretty! Tons of pics so plan for some more next week. 

On the tuk tuk on the way to the Bat Cave!; Phnom Sumphouv; This guy was a golden contact:); Monkeys!;;; Elder Jensen!; Elder Oleson! We are both half Korean :)

Letter Sent on June 18th, 2012

 Dear Family,

Hey there! Happy Fathers Day! How are you? I'm doing great! Thanks for all that you are doing and for giving your all to the end of your mission.  I feel so blessed to have two incredible fathers who I really look up to and who are so supportive of me.  Thanks Dad! I love you.

This week has been really good!  The work here in Battambang continues to grow.  There are many investigators coming out of the woodwork and we are busier than ever.  For that I feel so blessed.  With Elder Jensen and I; we have been teaching together better and things seem to being going really well.  We are learning to get along a lot better.  I guess one big lesson I have learned is to not be overly sensitive and to not take things so personally.  I am becoming a more Christ like person.  I am eternally grateful for the lessons that I am learning.

One thing that I have felt lately and that other Elders have felt is the need to serve the members more.  I have felt like they help us in our work so much and they come with us to teach and to share the gospel; of course it's their duty too but I have just felt like we need to give back some too and that in setting aside some time for service and in strengthening members it will solidify the work here in Battambang and that it will lay a stronger foundation.  I guess just I just feel that giving back to the members is very important in member missionary work and real growth.  The church is still pretty new here and so it just seems like every member could use continual strength and nourishing.  There are some amazing members and I have grown so much in my love for them. 

The branch here is ready, more than ever, to split.  It's on the verge; which is very exciting :)  Just another testimony of how the work here is growing.  Oh yeah! I forgot to tell you but Elder Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve came here to Cambodia a few weeks ago!  But he only met with the people in Phnom Penh, so I'm afraid I didn't get to meet him; but still super neat!

We have a new family that I told you about last week and the father is very smart and philosophical.  He really asks great questions and has really thoughtful responses. I am very excited for him to learn about the Restoration! He was asking about why there are so many different Christian churches but it was late and we had to get home.  We told him that we would teach him the reason why on Wednesday night :)

I am doing great! I am learning and growing so much right now.  I feel like I am learning to become the missionary the Lord wants me to be.  I just feel that I need to continue to rely on Him more and not strive to rely on my own strength alone.  I feel that I still have so much to learn and at times this can feel daunting but I know that as I truly learn to rely on the Lord that all will work out.  I want to continue to give my all and lose myself in this the work of the Lord.
Again, Happy Fathers Day! I hope all went great.  I love you and continue to appreciate you and your prayers.
Love,
Elder Garlick

Pics; Um...I sometimes find a little time to draw so maybe I'll try and send some of my sketches occasionally! Elder Dumrei (Elephant) :), Tree!  Super fun kids!

Letter Sent June 11, 2012

Dear Family and friends, 

This week has been pretty great. There have been some really great things that have happened! 

We have had a whole bunch of bike issues-especially Elder Jensen-he had to replace like 2 tires, spokes, the middle part of a tire, and a couple of tubes-pretty much all at different occasions.  There was even a time when both of our bikes needed to be fixed at the same time.  But long story short things are going well and the bikes are working fine but for a while they weren't being too cooperative.  I don't know why I shared that but that just seemed like a big theme this past week.  And a sneak peek into the life of a Cambodian missionary! Fun stuff:) baha!

We have been teaching this family that is Christian already and goes to another Christian church.  We taught them the about the Great Apostasy and Restoration.  One of the members that was helping us invited them to church; and they said that it was really far away and that there church was a lot closer but the mom, Ming Srei, said that she'd see if she could go.  I remember feeling a little discouraged after the lesson feeling that they hadn't understood what we had taught of the Restoration and that we didn't teach it very well..On Sunday it was a happy surprise to see the Ming there at church and then even more exciting to see how we were able to see how the members reached out and fellowshipped her and she ended up going to all 3 hours of church.  The rest of the family (her mom, mother in law, children, and her neighbor) who are learning with her didn't come but she is the one that they all seem to rely on and so I hope and pray that she felt the sweet Spirit and something special, which I am sure she did.  It was a great blessing to see her come to church and a big step forward for her family.

Another neat thing that happened was as we went and visited a less-active named Sopheak.  He was recently given a calling by our Branch President to be the 2nd Counselor in the Sunday School Presidency.  He accepted the call and talked about how he feels a need to go to church every week now because of his new calling.  He said that he has been a member for a while and that now that he has a calling he feels more included in the Branch and a greater desire to come to church.  It strengthened my testimony of callings and how truly important they are.  It also reminds me of that talk from this last conference from Bishop Richard C. Edgley who related a familiar story.  I felt even more blessed to be able to participate in strengthening him as he is a Melchezidek Priesthood holder as well. Truly, when people feel that they are needed and given responsibilities, callings, opportunities to serve; they feel appreciated and a desire to be more faithful.  I love this church and know that it is truly inspired and organized according to God's will.  Incredibly orderly, and making sure that all sheep are accounted for and cared for. My testimony of the organization of giving people callings has been strengthened as well!

We had an appointment fall through and so we just had a thought of going down a road that was unfamiliar to us.  We biked down it and eventually it wrapped back around to another road that we go down pretty regularly. Just across from us was a family sawing big logs.  We felt that we should go serve them, the tired father was more than happy to let us, as we sawed we talked with him for a while and asked if we could meet again and he was open to us coming back.  What a blessing!

I feel so blessed to be able to participate in this work and the more I ponder about the gospel the more blessed I feel.  Sometimes I just feel that wow it's just too good to be true! But it is true.  And for that I am eternally grateful.  Thank you for all of your love and support.  Your prayers and all help and sustain me. I love you so murfin much!...Welp, Seeya later!

Love,

Elder Garlick

PS.Some things I studied that really touched me, you can go and look up yourself if you feel so inclined; Nephi 4:15-35. I love Nephi and his attitude v28 especially.  Also Alma 32:41-43.  I just feel a great need to choose to strengthen my faith daily. Mosiah 2:22-24,41.

 Pics; Hey. Little kid wanted to try out taking a picture haha.  Morning shot of the street outside our house.  A tour of our "Supermarket" The Vegetable Department.  The Meat Department.  More of the Produce Department. Fun stuff!:)

Letter Sent on June, 4, 2012

Dear Family,

Hey! How are things back home? Crazy that the class of 2012 has graduated... Congrats and all that! Wow...Seems like just a few short months ago…time flies!  This past year has probably been the shortest of my life! Things here in Battambang are going good!  Elder Oleson's Zone Vision is to really focus on member missionary work and having real growth.  That is something that I also feel is very important and is something that I feel that we are doing better on.  We have been working a lot with getting ward missionaries involved in our lessons and we have seen some great things happen because of their help in reaching out to investigators, less actives, and recent converts.

It keeps coming up in our branch, for the need for home teaching and how many problems can be resolved and members strengthened as the Priesthood does this duty.  It is established but just not organized the best with companions being very far from each other and what not.  The branch president said that this week they want to meet and to reorganize things.  This is something that is really great and will help the work in Battambang progress a lot and strengthen the church here.

We have two investigators, Viisnaa and Davwii, who are new investigators; they are doing really great and already asking about when they can be baptized-because they want to join our Church- and for a Book of Mormon; it's very exciting to see their desire to learn and to embrace the gospel.

Our investigator Puu Sociat is struggling and feels that he can't overcome his addictions and he wants to stop learning for a little bit.. According to his wife Srei Doic,  it's really tough because I know that if he will really commit himself to it and rely on the Lord that he can do it! I love him and we will be praying hard for him and thanks for your prayers as well.

This week we also found a new couple of investigators as we stopped and helped an very old lady pull weeds (she's 73, very friendly lady) and her neighbor friend.  It was really neat to see how doing little acts of service softens hearts and opens opportunities.  We met them the next day. They are actually already Christian (which was surprising because I haven't really bumped into many older people that are Christian! They still do not totally understand our purpose, and I think they think that it is cool that we are foreigners coming over…haha, but as we continue to teach things will become more clear.  There is also a lot of potential for a bunch of other investigators from this family as well, who came and joined in the lesson with us.  I notice that as we truly strive to talk with everyone that many doors are opened and we will continue find those whom the Lord has put in our path.

I feel so very blessed to serve here in Cambodia, the people are all so kind and humble.  I feel that if I was in America that I'd bump into a bunch more grouches and get the door slammed in my face-but here you can just go up to about anyone and talk with them.  They have so little but are still so happy.  I am thankful for their Christ like examples.

I am thankful for my companion Elder Jensen and for all that I am learning from him.  We are very different but also have some things in common, and because of that, I am learning a lot and being stretched and becoming a better person.

The work is going well and we will continue to work our hardest. Thanks for all that you do and for your prayers in my behalf.  I love you!!

Love,
Elder Garlick
Pics; A little peek at the city of Battambang! I am not 100percent what these are...pretty gross looking! I think they said it's like medicine for something. Super cute little girl.