Letter Sent on February 11, 2013

Dear Family,

This past week was pretty good, kinda hard with proselyting a bit because of the Chinese New Year but still good! (Cambodia celebrate like 3 or 4 new years-the International New Year, Chinese New Year, and the Khmer New Year! Haha.  So yeah a lot of people were pretty busy with family because of that but we still saw a lot of great things happen.
This past week we met with this newer investigator named Srey Pov she is someone who we found through teaching English class, and she is sweet! She was telling us about how she sometimes feels irritable and not so happy at home but she loves coming to the church because she feels great and feels happy! We meet her at the church and it is great teaching at the church building. She came to church on Sunday and has developed a good friendship with another member named Sayon and turns out they are neighbors but they didn't know it. She's doing great!
We had a cool experience with contacting-we had a plan fall through and so we were biking down the street and we passed by this house and I remember feeling like we should talk with some people at that house then we kept going anyways and then we stopped and decided what we were going to do next and then we biked past that house again, again the same feeling, and then we went back and contacted some really cool women who were willing to meet and learn more about Christ; you know someone is kinda interested when they ask what time church is at! So that was a cool experience that we had with contacting and doing so by the Spirit. We are excited to meet with them sometime this week!
I am really grateful for my mission.  I love it and am constantly being stretched and pushed by it.  I remember thinking that somehow when I became a missionary that I would all the sudden be a filled with the Spirit and be like a different person or something-well I didn't really think that but I feel that I kinda did-I love being a missionary and, I am learning more and more of those things that I struggle with and of my weaknesses.  It is a humbling thing trying to do the work of the Lord.  I am however, grateful for all of my trials, even if I am not so grateful when experiencing them.  I know that the Lord loves us all and that it is through trials and the fire of testing that we truly grow and learn to love and rely on Him more.  I am most grateful for the Lord, Jesus Christ and the testimony that He lives! I know that through His Atonement we can be strengthened.
President Moon sent us an email recently and I really loved what he said:
"The atonement is the source and wellspring of our faith.  It is the compelling reason to continue to repent.  It is the motivation to make and keep covenants with God.  It calms our fears and allows the Spirit to fill our hearts.  It is the power to endure every trial and temptation.  It is the rock upon which we build our life.  It is the doctrine of Christ.  Teach it to those you are called to serve.  Rely upon it yourself.  Continuously."
I second that.  I know that Christ cares and that no one wants us to succeed more than He does and that that is our purpose here in our lives.  I love Him and I know that this is His work! Thanks for all that you do and for your love. 
Have a fantastic week and keep smiling!!!:)
I love you!

Love,

Elder Garlick

 

Letter Sent on February 4, 2013

Dear Family,

Things are going good here in Ta Khmau nowadays! This past week we had a leadership training which was very very good. It was really fun to go and to meet with lots of my mission buddies and learn about how we can become better missionaries and better leaders. I learned a lot and more than that was just inspired to be a better missionary and to be a better and more Christ like leader. I want to be more loving and try and think of those I am serving more.
This past week we were very busy with various meetings. A lot of our investigators have been out of town and very busy so it was difficult to meet them a lot. The King of Cambodia's father passed away a little while ago and the past few days have been a holiday of sorts and today is the day they are going to cremate his remains.  It is cool to see the love and respect the Cambodian people have for their old king.  We were able to get some good work done with some of our recent converts and less actives we're working with.
We have been trying for so long to help this recent convert family-a mom, Ming Vong, and her two daughters, Daneik and Dariya-come to church. They always say that they are going to come to church and then when Sunday comes around they don't make it there; the mom had said that she was going to be quitting her job so then she wouldn't have to work on Sundays. We had a super good lesson with them a couple weeks ago talking about their experiences with becoming members, the blessings they've received and the importance of partaking of the sacrament, and then finally yesterday we came to church and were delighted to see the three of them there! It was so great to see them there. I think that it was the first time since I have been in this area that the mom has come. She has great friendships with a lot of the members and there have been members visiting her and it was so great to see her come back to church. This was a very happy experience that we had this past week.
We also had a great lesson with another less active recent convert mother and we talked about families. She usually doesn't seem super interested in meeting with us but yesterday we had a great lesson with her and a couple of members, and she opened up some and shared with us about her own family and she said a great prayer at the end. We are going to keep doing our best to help her and continue to get members involved.
This past week we also had a really good BM Coordination Meeting which has now been happening every week which is great. We had a discussion about the challenges that Branch Missionaries have; some of which are time and feeling unprepared and nervous in what they should say or what we want them to say. The BM leader, Seiha, wants us Elders to teach a Preach My Gospel class and we all thought that this would be a good solution and will help strengthen our BMs and also help them prepare them for missions. I believe it will be a great success and that as we spend time trying to help our branch missionaries then they will be that much more willing and better prepared to meet with members and investigators themselves.
Things are going really good here and I really like my District.  I get to teach District Meeting tomorrow which should be fun :)
Anywho, I hope that all is going well back at home.  I am thankful for you and I love you! Very much. God be with you till we meet again. Till next time.

Love,
Elder Garlick

Pics:
1. Service as a District :)
2.Independence Monument-super pretty monument they've got next to a big wat in the city
3. Ditto
4. A cow.

Letter Sent on January 28, 2013

 

Dear Family,

How are things in Utah, USA? I love America. But I also love Cambodia as well. Things are going just great here in Ta Khmau! This past week we have seen a lot of changes with the missionaries here and there is a ton of potential right now with some new and prospective investigators.
There were transfers last week and we saw a lot of changes here in Ta Khmau.  Me and Elder Jensen are still together-which I am happy about, I love it here :)  Also, Elder An-whom I have become really tight with, one of my best Cambodian friends-was transferred; I really miss him.  And they are adding another companionship here, an Elder named Elder Price and Elder Kaev, a Branch Missionary who accepted a call to serve a temporary 6 week mini mission.  They are going to take a part of my area- specifically Baku(the beautiful hour bike ride area).  So it has been great taking them around and helping them get to know the area.  Elder Price has less than 3 months left in his mission and is an amazing missionary-I have already learned a lot from him the past few days.  I am really excited for this transfer and that I still get the opportunity to learn and serve as a District Leader! This next transfer will be great!
This past week we met with Om Sambath, that saint of a lady, and she shared with us some of the great sacrifices she has made to find the Lord and of her great faith.  Her kids want her to go back home to Takeo so that she can take care of her grandkids for them; she told them that it isn't her job to do so and how she has found the Lord here in the city.  She told us how she had her son's wedding out far away in the provinces and how some of her grandchildren were begging her to stay home with them and how they were telling her how hungry they were and asking her for food because their dad doesn't take very good care of them.  She did the best that she could to take care of them and had one of her children that sends her money from Korea send the money instead to her grandkids saying that the Lord will take care of her.  She has great faith and was crying as she told us of her grand children and it was obvious that it was a big sacrifice for her.  She has such great love for the Lord and unshakable faith.  I hope I can become more like her.
We picked up a sweet new investigator, her name is Ming Neang and she is the mother of 3 recent converts-Channea and Channaet being two of them who Elder Sem and I taught.  We have been kinda pushing and inviting her to learn for a while now.  Once we did a little bit of service for her and visited with her and she agreed to meet with us that next Sunday-however, ended up being busy and pushed it off saying that to wait a little longer and she'd be ready.  We finally were able to meet with her on Sunday and she is so ready to learn.  She has a lot of support from family and has been to the church a number of times.  The persistence and the love of her family have over time really just softened her heart and grown a desire to learn in her.  Her husband as well as showed some great potential and we pray that he will start to learn as well!
Things are going great here in Ta Khmau.  This work is true.  The Lord is in charge and is very much a part of every one of our lives.  Every day, whether we recognize it or not.  I love you all and hope you have a terrific week.

Love,
Elder Garlick

Pics.1 Some sweet members I've gotten to know during exchanges in Ta Khmau 2nd Branch
2.Elder An
3.The road to Baku
4. A puppy!
5. Ming Leak at her baptism-sorry I never sent earlier.
6. Ming Leak and friends

 

More Pictues Sent on January 21, 2012

Sorry, I have been super bad at sending pictures lately- here are some to catch up!!

We helped gather all of this rice that got all cut,  Rice is a lot of work!

Pu Chanra and some of his family from out in Baku; 

Hay, how are you?? Well it's actually rice but I guess it looks like hay.

Beautiful Cambodia.

 

Letter Sent on January 21, 2013

Dear Family,

 Here in Ta Khmau things are going really good! Yesterday we had a baptism for that lady named Om Sambath, it was an incredible baptism. She bore a great testimony and it was pretty much a short talk;she had written down 2 Nephi 31:20 so she could read it and she had a great experience and shared a strong testimony. Something I loved was how much she talked about the members and how much they helped her and it wasn't so much just thanking the Elders.  The members are so good to her and things are just going great! She is such an amazing investigator and was so prepared to hear the gospel; probably the most prepared person I have ever had the opportunity to teach. She talked about how she was praying for years to find a pure holy church and how she felt hopeless.  Somehow two sisters (one being Cambodian) in Temple Square called her and contacted her over the phone. Then she got referred to us and has endured through a lot to come to know the Lord and His Church. Sambath doesn't know how they got a hold of her number.  An amazing miracle!  She just has such great faith and is full of light and love for everyone.  I am thankful for her and for her faith and example to me and all the members here in Ta Khmau.  I am constantly amazed and grateful for how the Lord truly guides us to His children or guides His children who are being prepared to us.  What an amazing blessing it is to be a missionary! I love these people so much.

Also this week we have been trying to help the Elder's Quorum President, Pheap, to get hometeaching up and going.  We have been trying to go out with the different companionships and help them get to the homes of those whom they are called to teach. It has been pretty good, we will continue to try and to encourage and support as much as we can. I will say this much that when I get back I will give it my ALL to be a good home teacher.  Amazing how the mission changes your perspective on so many things and you just see so much more clearly.  Being a missionary when all you do is try and serve and help others you see how important that the members are doing the same for each other and how we honestly can't do it all on our own.

Right now we are struggling with that great family we have out in Baku, when we've called to say hi throughout the week they say that they've been reading together as a family in the scriptures. Which is great!  We went to go visit them on Saturday and the dad was very drunk from a party or something.  He says he loves us and he has a desire to get baptized; we will continue to do our best to help them progress.  I am grateful for the member help, Pu Chanra, we have that really helps Pu Oeun out and is a big friend and encouragement to him.

We have another investigator named Vann who we met with who talked about how he really wants to learn and see if the Lord can bless his life, he said that if he could see the Lord how he would give up whatever it takes to know him.  He is a very smart man and has a wife and 3 kids. He is disabled and says he really wants to come to church but says he can't if there isn't a wheelchair for him.  So we are going to try and figure something out! See if we can get one for him or something..  Things are going really good out here in the Kingdom of Cambodia. I know that the Lord is mindful of everyone of us and that He is always anxious to bless us for all the good which we do.  Thank you for your love and examples to me.  Every week I get lifted up and have a desire to stand taller when you share your experiences and love. I love you. A lot.  Have a spectacular week!

Talk to you next week-till then,

Love,

Elder Garlick

 

PS. Congrats to Kambri and to Logan with your mission calls! I'm so proud of you both!

Pics;Om Sambath-ready for baptism. The sister's investigator Vandy, Om Sambath, and us.  Ta Khmau 1st Branch.  A sweet tree we found by Baku out in the rice patties. A "sweet" Om selling honey at the market this morning:)

 

 

 

 

Letter Sent on January 14, 2013

Dear Family,

This week was really good! We were able to really focus on finding and meeting with less active members. We especially had some good success with meeting with those who are Priesthood holders and getting to know them and share with them. Elder Rucker taught me that a good thing to do with LA members is to commit them to learn the first 4 missionary lessons again; so we've been asking people if we could come back and teach them again to help remind them about the doctrines and things they have forgotten.
We were biking down the road one day and felt prompted to go kinda out of the way and try to say hi to a recent convert member named Ming Nou that we hadn't been able to meet with in a while and then after we got to her house. She wasn't home.  After we started biking back towards our original destination and we were talking about how sometimes we don't always recognize why we were prompted to do something that we did; but that the Lord has a greater purpose or vision in mind.  Elder Jensen then felt that we should go and try to visit one of Ming Nou's sons who is a Less Active member and lives right by her.  We went to his house right at the right time and were able to talk with ,not the son we intended to meet with, but his other brother who is also less active. We were able to talk and get to know him some and figure out when we can meet with him again to help him out.  It was so neat to see how the Lord prompts us to do certain things and how when we take the time faith to go out of our way to follow through on a prompting, there are always blessings that come from it.  The Lord really does bless each one of us with promptings and revelation everyday and for that I am so grateful.  The Holy Ghost is such an amazing gift! Could you imagine if you just had to guess about everything and just hope that you made the right decision? We have the privilege of receiving direction everyday on what the Lord would have us do and say. 
There is a less active named Sophea who is a return missionary who I've told you about before. He came to church on Sunday-which was great! It is always such a sweet experience to see a less active member come back into the fold.  We had a nice lesson with him where he shared about what he was studying in the Book of Mormon and he compared himself to when Nephi broke his bow and how that is like when he was less active and how know he is starting to come back.  It is so great to work with Less Actives like Sophea and see that they want to come back but just need some help and encouragement.  I am sure that everyone of us has the opportunity to reach out to others and strengthen their faith and help those who have become inactive come back.
Anywho, things are going great in Ta Khmao! I know I say this like every week, but I love my mission so much and I pray that my love for it will only continue to grow.  I know that this is the best thing I've ever decided to do and I am so happy to be able to serve the Savior all day everyday.  I love Him and know that He lives and truly watches over us everyday. I love you too! Thanks for everything you do and for your prayers and love. Have an awesome week!

Love,
Elder Garlick

Letter Sent on January 7, 2013

Dear Family,

 

 Hey how are you doing? I hope that you are all doing just great! Happy New Year! Or in Khmer- Suasdei Chnam Thmey! This means “Hi New Year"

This week was good, honestly pretty hard, but still good.  I have honestly been struggling this last week and have just felt pretty stressed out with a lot of things and trying to adjust to things and to be a better companion.  I am trying to be a good companion but know that I have many weaknesses.  I know that I sometimes am impatient, and can get frustrated too easily. I feel like I need to strive to be more humble and selfless in my companionship and that that will really help things go better. Pretty much what I am learning about getting along with others that being selfless is best.  I am continuing to learn and grow a lot.  And I love Elder Jensen, he's a super fun and great guy and he is an amazing missionary; we're both learning a lot.  Things are good!

This week I had the opportunity of going on an exchange with Elder Jongsma! I brought him into my area and we had some good things that happened.  The focus of the exchange was to strive to be Christ like and about being.  We talked about setting goals weekly and setting goals daily.  I challenged him to prayerfully set a daily goal each day for how he can do a little bit better and to really focus on that one goal for the day and try to really do his best on one point that he feels to work on.  I committed to do this too and am glad that I am emailing about it because it reminds me that I need to do better at this myself! I   learned a lot about him and I was impressed with how loving and Christ like he is, I also like how he really tried to help the people that we met with understand what we were teaching and if they started getting distracted or talking about something else he would help them focus on the lesson again.  One thing that we wanted to work on was contacting and on trying to be open to the Spirit and contact those whom we feel impressed to talk with; to be willing to stop and share this message. Also, just to be opening our mouths and talk with everyone everywhere we are. Elder Jongsma is a great Elder and I am so glad to be able to serve near him and be in the same house; he's from my MTC group and it's crazy that we've been friends for just over a year now!

Elder Jensen is feeling a lot better, pretty much 100 percent now! So that's great:)  We have a new investigator named Gum Ly and a couple of her family members who we are going to hopefully start meeting with this week which is exciting!

I am sorry not a whole lot to share this week but know that.. 

Things are going great! I hope that the same goes for you.  I love you so much. I hope you know that and that I am deeply grateful for all of you and for your prayers in my behalf and that of our dear brothers and sisters here in Cambodia.  Have a terrific week!

 

Love,

Elder Garlick

PS. I will send a whole bunch of pictures soon!