Letter Sent on May 20, 2013

Dear beloved family...

            How are you?? It was so great talking to you all last week, looks like you are doing swell and Ethan now has a superstar smile!:) I love you mom and it was a great Mother's Day! I am doing great here in Teuk Thla, and things are going well here as well.
We have a lot of investigators with baptismal dates and many that are past their original baptismal date or are not going to make it for one reason or another.  So we are going to try and get everyone really focused on their baptismal date goals.
Pu Mony and Ming Srey are really so very poor and it turns out that they are not married, but we were able to sit down with them and set a new goal for their baptismal date. They said that they think given a month they could save enough money to go to the province and get a marriage certificate and so they now have a baptismal date for June 30th!:)
They didn't come to church on Sunday and we felt we should go to visit them. When we got their we learned that Pu was really sick with terrible stomach cramps, diarrhea, and other and he looked really sick and that he was suffering.  We offered to give him a blessing and taught briefly about the blessing and priesthood.  We then gave him a blessing and the Spirit was there.  Seeing how terrible Pu was feeling and how humble of settings they live in was really humbling and I felt very blessed to have had the opportunity to go there and be apart of giving a blessing.  It really hit me how great a privilege it is to be a Priesthood holder and to be in the Lord's service, administering to those that need it.
I woke up earlier this week feeling really sick and I felt that I needed to ask Elder Fisher for a priesthood blessing during which he blessed me with some things that I really needed to hear and told me that the work would not be hindered because of my being ill.  I felt a bit better right away, and later on we were going to get some lunch with Elder Khan who we were on an exchange with and I felt a specific prompting that I needed to take some Plan of Salvation pamphlets with us and we went to this place to get some fried rice by our house and as we were leaving I just felt like I needed to give the pamphlet away and so I just asked one of the workers if I could share it with him and I told them where our church is and that we have an English class and this older Ming was really excited and seemed interested in coming to learn English. Just another testimony strengthener of the promptings of the Spirit.

I am feeling like a million bucks right now and life as a missionary is amazing! I was feeling a little ruffled the other day and I was in a lesson or just before we started it and I felt the prompting that I "just need to try my best to be like Jesus"(which is something a great friend had written me encouraging me to do a while back) and I really feel that that is really all we all need to do.  When things are stressful, when there seems like there is so many things to prioritize-we can just try our best to be like Jesus, and focus on our relationships with others.  For showing love to others and lifting our loved ones is really the most important thing to do.
I am grateful for the Holy Ghost and the many promptings, gifts, comfort love, and guidance that He brings to me daily. I am grateful for great family and friends, the best I could ask for.  I am grateful for my mission, the Cambodian people, and most especially for our Savior and Great Exemplar, Jesus Christ. May we all try and do our best "to be like Jesus" and to love and serve others. What would Jesus Do?

I love you!
Love,
Elder Garlick

Letter Sent on May 6, 2013

Dear Family

Things still are going great here in the blessed land of Teuk Thla! And what a blessed land it is!
I had the opportunity to go on an exchange with Elder Lyman and we had a great day exchanging my area.  Our focus was to try, in faith, to feel the love of God for each person we taught and obedience.  It was a great exchange and we had a cool little miracle happen, our morning plans fell through and so we went contacting and I was trying to follow the Spirit on where we should go to contact and we contacted a couple of people that really didn't respond much at all to us and didn't have much of an interest at all..but we were trying to go where we felt we should and we went by some guys shoveling a big pile of sand and putting it in the back of a truck and we asked if we could help and the two sweaty guys were happy to take a little break and let us help. Afterwards we talked to the guys and the guy I was talking to is married and has one kid. He had an interest in learning English and said that we could come back to his house and he is free at night time we set an appointment with him and it's a potential family! It strengthened my testimony of being patient and how sometimes when we follow the promptings of the Spirit we don't see all of the blessings right away or understand why but the Lord knows what He is doing and where He needs us. Elder Lyman is doing great; he knows a lot about missionary work and just really is full of love and has his head screwed on straight.  He's doing super good President. We committed him to try to have prayer in heart for love of God before each lesson and to pray for those taught and for charity at night for this week.
While Elder Fisher was on the exchange he was going down the street and this guy just pulled up next to him and asked him where our church is and if he could learn! He said that he has some family issues and that he really wants to learn and he came to church on Sunday and brought a couple of his friends with him to learn as well! We are going to be meeting with them on Wednesday.
The Lord is leading us to those whom He has prepared for the Gospel or he will lead them to us! We are so blessed!

I have been really thinking a lot about this scripture in D&C 88:63 "Draw near unto me and I will draw near unto you; seek me diligently and ye shall find me; ask, and ye shall receive, knock and it shall be opened unto you" This is something I know was brought up in conference and I love this scripture.  I have really felt closer to the Savior and so happy this past week as I have been trying to do the "little things" and to try and find ways to be better and more obedient. I know that this scripture is true and that as we seek Him we come to find that He is right here helping us and has been the whole time! I hope that we will all seek to draw near unto Him and seek Him this next week! Sometimes all it takes is the faith to ask for things! I love you all so much and I am stoked to talk to you next week! Have a terrific week!

Love,

Elder Garlick

Letter Sent on April 29, 2013

Dear Family,

 

Hey, how are ya doing? How's the weather there in UT?

This past week was just dandy! Things are going great in the area.
We have been working really hard and being very diligent and we are seeing lots of blessings being poured out by the Lord.
Pu Mony and Ming Srey are doing great and progressing great. We met them a few days after we taught about the Word of Wisdom and after conference.  Mony had a smoking and drinking problem.  He told us that he had immediately stopped drinking! Since then he has since been continuing to keep his commitment and his wife loves it that he has not been drinking. She told us that he would used to go get drunk with his neighbors and fall asleep under the house, which is pretty much a ditch full of garbage, and now he won't even drink a glass even when offered! She prays for him and he prays as well, he says that he doesn't have a desire to drink anymore and doesn't feel hungry for it. 
They had another cool miracle, they went to conference and they didn't have any food and knew that when they came home there would be no food but still decided to put the Lord first and walk for an hour to get to the church; when they came home there was a family member who was waiting at their house and gave them 5 dollars and they were able to get some food!  The Ming said something like, "If the Lord wants me to eat, then I will eat, if He doesn't want me to eat for a day, then I won't, If He wants me to die then I will die" she just has great love and faith. They have super faith and are a super family. They have a baptismal date for May 19.
We had a cool experience reading the Book of Mormon with another investigator who is named Borith.  He is 28 years old and a little bit slower but a great guy, and he is a part member family and his sister is a recent convert.  We went over to meet him and he was watching TV and seemed kinda upset and like he didn't want to meet with us and his parents kinda teased him which didn't help his spirits.. we asked him if he would be cool to meet with us and just read a bit in the Book of Mormon together and he agreed to do so; we read in 2nd Nephi 9:1-13 with him a bit and had a good talk about the Atonement and his mood just totally changed and he was smiling by the end and I think we are gaining a lot more trust with us.  He mostly stays at home and doesn't have a lot of friends and I think he is really starting to trust us and feel more happy to meet with us. Great seeing how the Book of Mormon can change our moods when we are feeling down.
Borith shared a scripture a while back from his reading that he loved and wrote it down on a bookmark we gave him. 2 Nephi 6:10 Made me laugh :)
Things are going fantastic with Elder Fisher! I love serving with him and we are getting a lot of great work done together.  We have great unity and love in our companionship. I really like how we do things well together and really both try and give our all. We are very open with each other and it really does help a lot. It is a lot of fun serving with him, we have gotten a lot of good things done this past week and we are really want to focus on things to strengthen the branches here in north zone to prepare for a stake.

Things are going good! Have a great week!

Love,
Elder Garlick

Sorry the computer won't recognize my memory card, but the camera does, maybe I just need to buy a different one. Pictures hopefully next week!

Letter Sent on April 22, 2013

Dear Family,

Hey hey, How are you? I'm doing pretty great here in Tuek Thla and things are going great with the work.
This past week, we saw many cool things happen. We met with our investigator family-Pu Mony and Ming Srey.  We met with them and had a good lesson teaching about the word of wisdom and they both agreed to try and keep it.  It is great because we have already talked about the word of wisdom, and the law of chastity plus the law of fasting a bit and they are doing great and growing in their faith.  The wife especially has very good questions and is just very genuine.  They both came to conference and seemed really excited about it.  The wife shared a miracle and blessing she had that as she prayed to be able to go to conference that the construction place they work at said that the women all had the day off for Saturday and Sunday and would start up again on Monday.  So on Saturday we saw the two of them come to the north district center bright and early right before we left to go to the south district center.  It is great to be working with them and to see their progression.
Another cool miracle in relation to conference deals with this less active man named Pu Saret who has been a member since 1996! Longer than me! We went and visited with him on Friday and got to know him and shared about our families and all and we had a good visit with him and he talked a lot about how we can't just say things but how we need to apply and do as well. We agreed. We invited him to conference and testified of the blessings that he would receive and then we were very happy to see him on both Saturday and Sunday there at the church bright and early talking with the members as well.  It was the first time since I've been here that he's come and I feel that this is the start of him becoming fully active again.
Conference was a treat right!?I learned a lot and I really noticed how they really seemed to focus on the basics and on strengthening our personal relationship with the Savior and opening the door of our hearts to Him and drawing near to Him so that He will draw near unto us, and also especially talking about obedience, loved President Monson's talk. I also like how they talked a lot of applying the things that we learn- let's not be like the foolish man who heard but did not do; let's be wise and apply the things we learned, let's be doers of the word not just hearers. I think a lot of times we look beyond the mark and overcomplicate things seeking deep or complex answers.  I am grateful for the prophet and apostles and for their teachings about love, obedience, family, and most of all Jesus Christ. Because those really are the only things that matter in our lives and the more we focus on obeying with a willing heart and loving others with a sincere heart the happier we will be. I know with all my heart that President Monson is a true prophet and I am so grateful for that testimony.  I pray that all of us will prayerfully study, live and apply the things which we have been taught so that we can come unto Him.  It was so cool to hear of the Lord's hastening of His work and the great missionary spirit in the Church.  "I'd do nothing else!"

I love you and have a fantastic week!
Love,
Elder Garlick

 

Letter Sent on April 15, 2013

 

Dear Family,

Hey! "Suasdei Chnam Tmey!" Happy New Year! Right now it is the middle of the 3 day Khmer New Year which started yesterday at exactly 2:12am. The city is so quiet and it seems as though just about all the stores and homes are locked up.  It's empty! But we met with some of the remaining members here and have eaten some great food as a part of the celebration :) I love rice! Even with most of our investigators and recent converts gone we've still seen some great things happen this past week.
One great miracle that we saw was a week or two ago we were going down the street and we went past this guy on a motto and he said like, "Hey Elder." We stopped and talked with him and it turns out that his name is Pu Chay and is a member from Ta Khmao that is living here in Tuek Thla because his wife and son sell food here and he is a moto dope. He has a phone but didn't know what his number was, however he told us the area that his house was in. We had looked for his home and didn't have any luck, but then we were over in that area again doing some finding and as we were biking we went past this house and he was out front and said hi to us. Miracle! We talked with him and met his wife and his 17 year old son and his 18 year old niece who sells food with them. Turns out they are preparing to go to the temple in Ta Khmao and pay tithing and everything out there. However, their son is not a member yet! So we were able to meet with them and their son and he is going to start learning with us now, which is really exciting! And hopefully their niece will as well. I am really grateful that we were able to meet with them and that their family will be closer to being all members!
This week we had the opportunity for doing service for a less active member who didn't go anywhere for the holiday.  We had an appointment to come and meet with him and when we showed up he was busy deep cleaning his house; it definitely needed it.  We asked him if we could help him and he kept saying, "No it's fine" "Maybe another time when I have a lot for you to help with" " No worries Elders" But we wouldn't take no for an answer and started helping him clean up his home.  It was a very humbling experience wiping away dust and piles of rat poop and seeing a plethora of cockroaches crawling out of boxes as we helped clean and tidy up the house.  It was just another big reminder to me of how blessed we are in America.  So blessed.  We have so much to be grateful for.  I sometimes It was also great seeing how as we served him he started telling where to put things and we could tell he was happy to have us over.  I love service and it really does soften hearts.
Yesterday was transfer calls; this transfer has gone by so fast! And Elder Pettit will be leaving and going to my "birth" area in Battambang! I am so jealous.  As I was telling him about the members there and as I just was thinking about them last night I just felt this great feeling of love and great gratitude for the privilege that I had to serve among them there.  I really love my friends there and I miss them so much. But, I am excited for Elder Pettit! We've gotten along really well and it's been a great experience serving with him.  He is a stud, great at the language, loves the people, hard working, and just has a great desire to leave things better than how he found it. I am grateful for him and for the great friend that he is to me.  I'm sure I'll miss him. Also, I was called to serve as a co-Zone Leader with my very good friend Elder Fisher! He and I were in the MTC together and are great friends. We are going to be serving here in Tuek Thla.  I am very humbled and excited to serve as a Zone Leader.
Conference for me is this week and I am very excited for it.  As more time goes on in my mission the more I love and look forward to hearing from our leaders.
Thanks for your emails, you always tell me what I need to hear and you lift me up an inspire me.  Thank you for your Christ like examples.  I love this work and what an exciting time it is to be a missionary.  What an exciting time it is to be a member of the Lord's restored Church.  I know with all my heart that this is the Lord's work and that He is very much a part of it.  I don't want to miss out. I love Jesus Christ and I know that He lives.

I love you! Have a great week.
With love,
Elder Garlick

Pics; Frog at members house
Another recent convert Nary
Our investigator Sam On
Elder Pettit and I with a recent convert, Leaksmee, and her formerly less active sister Davy.
Sorry I'll try to send more pics the computer isn't reading my card.

 

Letter Sent on April 8, 2013

Dear Family,

Hey how's it going? It sounds like you had a great conference weekend! I'm always jealous that I have to wait, for us in Cambodia we'll be watching it a couple of weeks later on the 20th and 21st and I'm really looking forward to it.  It seems that after 6 months you just feel that need for another spiritual boost you know?
The weather here in Cambodia has been lovely :) It just barely started pouring rain out of nowhere. Love it!!! We are in the hot season right now and when you are in the sun it feels like your skin is sizzling like bacon, haha just kidding! Kinda.  Builds character. This next coming weekend is the Khmer New Year which is the biggest holiday of the year here in Cambodia and is a time that many people go back home to spend time with their family, which is so great! Therefore, a lot of members and a lot of the investigators we are working with right now are leaving or have left to go to their provinces for a time.  So these next couple of weeks should be interesting.
This past week we met with that family I was telling you about, their names are Pu Mony and Ming Srey.  Ming Srey has learned about Christ before and actually was baptized into a different Christian church. They have 5 or 6 kids(can't remember) but they are here on their own and they work as construction workers.  They are both very kind and so humble and have some very strenuous work I am sure especially with the hot sun.  Their house is with all of these other construction workers and the door is just a little square in the sheet metal that they crawl in to enter their small room, very humbling.  They came to church again on Sunday and the Ming learned about tithing in Relief Society-she told us that she understands that if we don't pay our tithing it is like we are robbing the Lord.  She expressed concern that she doesn't think she can do it to the Relief Society teacher, her faith will grow and as she sees the blessings in her life she will be able to do it.  I am so happy to have the opportunity to be teaching them and I know that they are going to be blessed with miracles and increased happiness as they come unto Christ.
Lately I have been feeling kinda down and that I am falling short of the missionary who I ought to be, but I am so grateful for the knowledge that our Heavenly Father loves me and that through the Atonement all can be made right.  As I study the scriptures and the words of the prophets, I feel the Spirit strengthen my desire to be whom the Lord wants me to be and I can feel my testimony grow deeper.  I know that it is true for all of us and the Lord loves us and is more pleased with us than we really think He is.  Thanks for your prayers and emails I really appreciate it.  I hope that you know that I love you!

With love,
Elder Garlick
Pics; sorry I'll try and send some soon!

 

Letter Sent on April 1, 2013

Dearest Family,

Happy Easter!! I hope that it is a special day for you and that you feel closer to the Savior.  I am so grateful for this time of year and for all the reminders that we are blessed with that testify of Him and His Resurrection and Atonement.  Helps me to "always remember him". How are you?? I am doing swell and things here in Tuek Thla are going great as well. Happy Easter!
This past week we had some really cool things and some neat experiences.
We have a less active man that we are working with named Bong Pov and we usually meet him a couple of times a week, this week we went to meet with him a couple of times and asked his home teacher, Channa, to come and help fellowship him and help us teach. We had a great lesson about families and how the gospel helps our families. The most powerful part was when Channa(who is a sealed in the temple RM) shared his testimony with Bong Pov about his family and just expressed sincere love for Bong Pov. It was really neat to be there and see the pure love and sincerity that he had for Bong Pov and for the Savior Jesus Christ. He also invited him and his family to come to a family home evening this month at his house. His testimony is so strong and really is a great example to me and showed me the power of a dedicated home teacher and of how much of a difference that a loving home teacher can make.  It is so great seeing members doing missionary work!
There was a very nice man and his wife that are not members yet but came to church yesterday and seemed to be loving it, they said it was their second or third time going. They have tons of potential!! And, we are going to meet them today and we are way pumped because it is a FAMILY!!!! I'll tell you more about them and their story.. The Lord is constantly leading those whom He has prepared all around the world.
Easter is such a special time of year and I just want to share my testimony that I know that Jesus Christ lives.  I know that He has suffered, died, and been resurrected for each one of us individually because he loves us, each one of us individually.  I know that is true no matter where we are or no matter how alone or lost we feel.  I know that through Christ's Atonement everything can be made right and I am so grateful for that and for the hope it blesses me with.  I have just seen a lot of powerful examples of sincere testimony the past week and I really want to strengthen mine and be really sincere and as "bold as a lion".  Something that Bong Channa invited a couple of families that we visited with, and that I want to apply and invite you to do as well is to pray and ask God if Christ really is our Savior and if He really was resurrected does live for us today. (1 Nephi 15:11)  He lives! And what a blessing it is to share that with our brothers and sisters!

With love,
Elder Tanner Garlick