12/10/2013

   So in last weeks email we told Kyle that we sent a package to his previous apartment. This week we asked him if he was able to get it. We also asked Kyle for his new address, which he failed to give us. Ug. So I updated the blog and put the mission home address on it for now. We also told him that this past Sunday was Stake Conference and told him about two great talks that were given. Tracie also told Kyle that she was done with all the Christmas shopping and now can focus on writing the annual Christmas letter. Tracie also asked if he was able to see any movies because she was talking with her dad and he mentioned that he was able to go to them. Below is Kyle's letter.

hola!!!

so my hands are really cold since we just helped people move stuff into storage for the past 3 hours!! haha so its hard to type :P ya im now serving in the scenic hill ward and my new comp is awesome!! i did get the package and guess what!! funny story Elder Grandstaffs mom sent him the same exact tree! so now we have 2 of the same trees in a corner in our apartment! on the bright side the high of this past week was about 30 degrees!!! so fun tracting in the freezing cold weather where your words start to slur because your lips are frozen haha!! so we have this awesome investigator named josh!!! he is super solid in the gospel. he quit smoking and chew and gave up drinking coffee!!! hes been clean for about a week now! he will be getting baptized on the 21st of this month!! super excited for him!!! other than that we have been trying to find people to teach!! i love being a missionary!

                     -Elder Garr

12/01/2013

   Our last email to Kyle we talked about how its already December and that he has surpassed his 1 year mark on his mission. We asked him how his Thanksgiving was? Was he fed by a Ward member and was it as good as grandma's? We told him how grandpa and grandma invited the missionaries in their Ward to celebrate Thanksgiving with all of us. Tracie told Kyle how she took pictures and forwarded them to their parents and let them know they were taken care of. We asked Kyle if he received the package we sent. We asked for his new address. We told him that his sister Lexi finally bought some fabric and made herself some really soft pajama pants. (She's very proud of them) Told him that Kinlee was going up to the Snowflake Temple in the coming week. And finally, we let Kyle know that we broke down and bought a pre-lit christmas tree so we won't have to string a gazillion lights anymore. Oh, by the way, YSA stands for Young Single Adult Ward.

                              Here's a map showing where Kent, WA is located.

hey!!!

its crazy that its already december!! and in 24 days i get to see ya!! (but whose counting :P)  i bet you are ;) this past thanksgiving was awesome!! we went over to a ysa's parents house and they fed us good!! i didnt get the package that you sent but it is working its way to me!! i will probably get it on friday!  so i have some news!! i got moved out of YSA and  am now in Kent! my new companion is Elder Grandstaff! he has been out 1 month longer than me!! so with the address they want all packages sent to the mission office :) call the mission office about the address :) cuz i dont know it!! haha you waited till i was gone to buy a pre-lit Christmas tree...... who said that it would be worth it :P i think i did haha and now you finally got it haha! glad to hear that everything is going good back home!! i love being out here on a mission!! love and miss everyone!!

                -Elder Gar

11/04/2013

     So this past week Tracie wrote Kyle about how we went to Abby Shill's opening of "The Letter" and learned that she will serving in Piura, Peru. Kinlee had mouth surgery to fix the gap between her two front teeth, this is the same procedure Tracie had as a kid. Halloween was also this past week so we let Kyle know we have more than enough candy in our house. Kyle also requested a couple of his mom's recipes. We also sent a package to him this past week with gifts for his up and coming birthday. Do you think he waited?! Tracie asked why he wanted his dorky fake glasses and also asked him for Christmas ideas.

hola momma!! sounds like this week was pretty busy! haha so was mine! lots of tracting!! well when i first came out i didnt have anything that was "me". now since ive been out a while there have been things that i have wanted from home that make me... "me"!! haha thats why i wanted those dorky glasses :P  ummmm....i have opened some of them but i am saving the tie until my birthday haha :P i dont know what color it is but everything points to a tie :P money would be nice for christmas and bright colorful ties!! i need more!! haha i only have like 27 with me :P please no fast food gift cards :P im trying to eat healthier :P haha oh those shoe inserts from missionshoe.com would be nice. they last about 6 months so i will need at least 2 more haha. gift cards to walmart would also be nice :) ya im not sure about the christmas party things haha :P my current companion is Elder Batchelor!! he's from New Mexico! we get along pretty well! we have fun haha! haha ya hathaway is back in WA until today :( he went to Sis Eischens and called me so i got to talk to him :) hes a stud! and about the password tell dad to flip the first 4 with the last 4 and thats the new one! this week has been pretty good! we have done a ton of tracting and following up with potentials! not too much luck but we are workin hard!! thats about it for me haha :) love and miss everyone!!!

                -Elder Garr

10/27/2013

     Our last email to Kyle talked about this past week being missionary week. We told him about various church members that came into Primary and talked about their experiences. Our ward had Trunk or Treat and Lexi helped setup the haunted house and then got all "spookified" and scared all the little kids. We also told him that Kinlee went to the Desert Ridge Homecoming football game and "watched" them slaughter the other team. Also told Kyle about the new leather couch and love seat  we just purchased. We sent his B-day gifts early with the pair of glasses he requested and his mom told him that he better not open the gifts till his Birthday on Nov 11th. OH- Tim was the pet spider.

Sounds like you have had an interesting week! the weather up here is beautiful!!! i love the colder weather!! its around 50 everyday!!! i love it!!! i will wait until my birthday to open the gifts...notice how i didnt say "all" haha just kidding! i will wait! and not the sunglasses but the fake ones that are non-prescription. the ones that i would wear to work every once in a while! glad to hear that you finally got your new couch! only 13 more months and i get to try it out! and way to go dad!!! love the leather!!! this week has been pretty busy! we have gone tracting a ton and found some potentials to work with but our one solid investigator is Emilie! Emilie is 70 yrs and she has suffered from a lot of strokes and so she is in a wheelchair and cant do many things on her own. but she loves coming to church and loves going to the classes! hopefully she will be baptized soon!!! she is my favorite! when she comes to church an access bus drops her off and so i get to wheel her around everywhere in church and then access comes after church and picks her up! she is super sweet! we dont really get fed by members in this ward. we get fed on Sunday and Monday nights but thats it. oh quick story that you probably already know about but the Toone's who are in my ward now were in the same ward that i started my mission in!! super funny!! i am in an apartment and i dont have the address with me because i gave it to Sis Eischen and didnt think i would need it today :P i will double check with her and make sure she has the right one and she will fb you :) tim was sadly left behind...he was a champ! but i guarantee the new elders in Orting threw him away or set him free :( oh well haha! other than that things have been pretty much the same :P i love and miss everyone!

                         -Elder Garr

Here's a picture that the Toone's sent us that they took while Kyle was visiting them recently.

Transfer Time

   This past week our email to Kyle talked about Lexi and her 101 Dalmatian rehearsal every night with opening night being on Friday. It also talked about Tracie going to a "Favorite Thing" party with several ladies from the Ward. We asked Kyle about his new area, gift card capability, and what was something fun he did this past week. We also sent him a picture of Kinlee wearing a sweat shirt she pulled out of his closet. We also asked Kyle if he's riding his bike a lot or driving a car and how is the new apartment. Do you have a new companion if so, tell us about him. We also told Kyle the date the Gilbert temple will be open to the public.  We also jokingly suggested that we were going to teach Kinlee how to drive using his car. Below is his email back to us.

hola!!

So the new area is pretty awesome!! im still on bike which im ok with :P umm...the gift cards i can use are pretty open. there is a lot of stuff in Auburn. most fast food. most shopping places like burlington...hint hint... haha other than that there is a lot of places to go. my new comp is Elder Batchelor. he is from New Mexico. hes pretty chill. and no one compares to the 3 amigos!! haha. kinlee CAN NOT ;) learn how to drive my car...she can learn in the jetta like i did :) haha its crazy that the gilbert temple is almost up and running! things here are pretty good. we found 6 new people to teach this past week and so we have return appointments with them this week!!! thats about it... i love and miss everyone!!

 

                 -Elder Garr

Here's a map image of where Auburn, WA is.

The New Address:

Elder Kyle Garr

1465 8th N.E. #5

Auburn, WA 98002

Below are some pictures Kyle sent us from a service project him and his last companion helped with.

Hola

This week has been pretty unproductive. the only fun thing we did this past week was we participated in the national day of service!!! we had the privilege to tear down a fence at the soldiers home in town!! it was super fun because the majority of the crew took out the fence in between the posts! I got to work with a worker there with a backhoe. I would hook up the post with a tow cable to the bucket and then he would drive it over to the truck and would put it in the truck and I would unlatch it. at first it took forever for me to get out of the back of the truck so eventually he just put the bucket over the truck and I would climb into the bucket and then he would drive back over to the next post with me still in the bucket and we would repeat the process :D we did that about 30 times...roughly haha. it was awesome!!! other than that we didnt do anything else out of the ordinary. went and saw a couple of less actives and thats about it. other than that i love and miss everyone!!!

                    -Elder Garr

          Here are some pictures that Kyle sent us along with his commentary.

          The first is what I do when bored haha I balance a quarter on top of a flathead screwdriver :P next is my last district. from left to right is - Sisters Mossbrucker, Gardner, Lloyd, and Martin, Elders Matthews, Gardner, Benhoff (my comp), and then ME!!!  Finally this is what we do when bored :P we balance stuff!!

Pic #1

Pic #2

Pic #3

Another week

Tracie wrote Kyle a letter letting him know that one of his best friends was back from his mission and that we would wait to go back to WA and let him have the "welcome home" at the airport. She also mentioned school shopping with the girls and about our ward Primary Talent show that she was in with the Primary Presidency. Oh and that we saw an odd purchase from a smoke shop in Orting that was on his bank account and his mom was freaking out about.

     Its super crazy that Jared is home!! those 2 years have flown by!! mine is flying by as well!! Its crazy to think that I've been out for 8 months already!!! holy cow!! That plan about a year later sounds like a good idea. Plus you would freeze here in November/December!! I would be fine and maybe dad but not you. School shopping fun times...not!!! Try this on try that on...dont miss it at all I'm trying to send home a video that's on my flash drive but its too big. The Sisters and Elder Brown and I did a lip sync for our ward talent show!! It was super funny!! I will try to find a way to send it :P We had glowsticks for ours as well, great minds think alike!!! and at the smoke shop I bought a zippo lighter because there is an object lesson that we do and you need a zippo, no need to be concerned. Things here in Orting are starting to pick up! We are going back to teach a 3 piece family tomorrow so hopefully everything works out! I will have more info on that later! Other than that we have just been doing service! I love and miss everyone!!

                              -Elder Garr

hola!!

This past week Tracie asked Kyle several questions and clued him in on what has happened in our home the past week. Below is his response to her letter. Sorry if it doesn't make sense.

hola!!

Sounds like a peaceful week at home :) dad can't wait to be "empty nesters". I'm gonna live with you guys for the rest of my life...just kidding. i cant believe Jared gets back this Thursday!!!  tell Jake that i make no promises to not be married before he gets back. :P its good to hear that your heart is doing good :P i think highland would be a good school for Kinlee :) i may have to disown her but oh well. why are you complaining about cleaning the church :P I've cleaned the church every Saturday for the past 5 weeks willingly by choice. :P  i actually brought my flash drive today so you will get some today!!!  and i hope my car is still there when i get back. along with my motorcycle ;)  this week has been pretty interesting. we had most of our investigators drop off the face of the planet. now we have to try and locate them this week, other than that things are pretty much the same here :) love and miss you :) 

                              -Elder Garr

 

Below are some pictures that Kyle finally emailed home to us. We guess if you beg long enough he will finally listen.

 

Kyle and friends did a lip sync for a talent show.

These are some of the friends Kyle made in the WA-TAC mission.

Sister Crosby and Elder Peck

Kyle in the arms of Elder Blainey and his current companion Elder Brown standing like a creeper to the right. (These are Kyle's words)

Mt Rainier Pics #1

Mt Rainier Pics #2

Mt Rainier Pics #3

Mt Rainier Pics #4

 

 

hola!!

hola!!

     This week has been pretty legit!! we had an investigator of about a year ago text us and say that she wanted us to come teach her again!! super cool. and at church yesterday i had a guy in the ward come up to me and tell me he wanted to introduce me to a family. turns out this family wants the missionary lessons because the mom wants to be on a better path in life so i will have more info on that next week. im writing my response letters slowly but surely. i opened the federal way mission. all that means is i have new areas to go to. the fed-way mission is made of 2 zones from tacoma mission and 5 zones from the seattle mission. so im still in orting haha it was one of the areas that was sent to the new mission. Mt Rainier was freakin awesome!!! not even close to a desert here haha. I will send some pics soon i promise. love and miss ya!!!

                             -Elder Garr

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Hey Everyone!!!

   So this week has been pretty boring :P we have been trying to work with part member families. and unbaptized children. it is hard work in orting :P i havent talked to my mission president about my knee yet so we will have to see where that goes later in the week :P no mom i havent seen a doctor :P im just now getting over some sickness :P just coughing and stuff like that! i love being a missionary!! this gospel is true!!! i love everyone!!!

                                     -Elder Garr

Transfers!!!

This past week has been stressful! we got our transfer calls this past Saturday! I bet you all want to know if im staying or if im going :P well I got my call to go to Orting, Graham. now as you all know they created 2 new missions is WA. On June 28th the Federal Way mission is going to be created! now the WA-TAC is loosing 2 areas to this mission. One of those areas is Graham... so on June 28th I will get to open up the Washington Federal Way mission and I will get a new mission president!!! so all of my info will change like the mission office and things like that :P not many people get to say that they were in 2 separate missions!!! but I will get to say that!!! my new mailing address will be

 

Elder Kyle Garr

221 Corrin Ave SW Unit A

Orting, WA 98372

 

My new companion is Elder Brown! he came out with my current companion Elder Hunsinger! as a matter of fact they were MTC companions!! He says that we should get along great! I love being a missionary!! I love and miss eVeRyOnE!!!

                          -Elder Garr

oh ya!

I forgot to tell you that there was this member that we went to see 2 sundays ago and they had an ukulele and a piano so they wanted me to play them haha so I did and I told them that ive been asking around for a ukulele that some one would be willing to part with for cheap and so this last Wednesday we went to mutual and this member came up to me and was like "we missed your last Christmas present so...Merry Christmas!!!"

  how awesome is that!! and a youth in the ward taught me a couple of songs including "how can I be" its super fun to play the ukulele!!!

      love ya!!!

                     

                                                             Kyle's new area:

                   Here's another picture I found of Kyle while looking at the WA-TAC blog.

Cow Tongue Tacos!!!

    I had to throw that title in there because today after im done emailing we are going to go eat some cow tongue tacos!!! it will be interesting! next week I will have to let you know if im dead or not!!! oh ya and since next Monday is memorial day the library will be closed so I wont get to email until either Tuesday or Wednesday. not sure because Tuesday is transfers so if I stay in Shelton I will most likely email after transfers. this week has been pretty interesting! we have been working more with the foster kids but unfortunately they have fallen off date because of various reasons but we are still working hard with them! the other day we helped someone move and I was the one in the back of the moving truck arranging everything and the people there were like "ya were going to have to make 2 trips"...not with this guy in the back of that truck! I got everything packed in the truck and it only took one trip! I was pretty proud of myself! I knew my mission would help me learn valuable things!! like how to load a moving truck! haha it was pretty fun. I was in the truck standing on boxes while putting boxes on top of anything!!! other than that this week has been pretty much the same! knocking doors with Spanish! I love being a missionary!!! I love and miss everyone!!!

                                -Elder Garr

Mother's Day!!!

This week has been pretty awesome! we are working with a less active family that is starting to come back to church and they are foster parents so they have 4 foster kids in their home right now. we have put 3 of the 4 on date to be baptized on the 25th and we only have permission from one of the boys. the other 2 are still trying to get permission from their case workers and their parents!! keep them in your prayers please!!! we are also working with a couple and they are trying to quit smoking and take the lessons but they have been sick so we kind of lost contact with them for about 3 weeks :/ but now there better and we are starting to teach them!! other than that things are basically the same as every other week, tracting with Spanish haha!! this last sunday so yesterday I played Redeemer in sacrament meeting and I had some people come up to me and say how much it touched them. I love how music can do that to people!! since I have been on my mission I have played a musical number in every ward that ive served in!! its one of my goals to do that in every area I serve in!! I love being a missionary and bringing the light of the gospel to those who are prepared. I love the book of Mormon with all of me heart and I challenge everyone to read for at least 30 minutes a day!! it will change your life! if you don't believe me then put my words to the test, because I know that if you sincerely read from that book you will see a difference in your life and in the life of your family! I love and miss everyone!!

                    -Elder Gar

Also, I found this pic of Kyle on the Tacoma Mission Blog.

http://thebeautifulwa-tac.blogspot.com

My artsy crafty side came out haha!!!

       So this week has been pretty fun!! we are working with a less active family and they are starting to come back to everything! they wanted to start up FHE so I decided to make them a little job board! I spent a ton of time at night painting this thing and I will send a picture home next week but this project made the sister missionaries proud!! haha. this past Saturday we helped a 71 year old move out of her rental house and into a duplex. it took us about 8 hours to complete this move! crazy!! but a Spanish missionary (elder jones) and I were up on her balcony and everyone else was on the ground below and they were throwing things up to us and we would catch them and put them on the deck!! for the record I have a perfect record of catching!! but you wouldn't believe some of the things we lifted up onto the balcony!! we lifted 2 couches, a box spring, a mattress, and a ton of smaller items!! it was so much fun!!! we also helped the sisters move into a new home haha. We also had the chance to go through the temple this past week as a mission!! that was super awesome!! and the Seattle temple is super pretty!!! I love and miss everyone!!!

             -Elder Garr

This week!

     This week has been pretty awesome!! i was sick at the beginning of the week but ive slowly gotten better! we have done a ton of tracting!! Elder Hunsinger has some of the funniest comments!!! we walked up to this one door and this lady slammed the door in our faces and as we were walking away he says "I hate white people..." Im super glad im his companion!! hes super funny!! other than that this week has been the same. we are still trying to get Justin and Ashley married and then baptized!! I love being a missionary!! i love this gospel!!! I love and miss everyone!!

                    -Elder Garr



                                          Here's a map of where Kyle current is.

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hey everyone!!!

      so this week has been pretty awesome!!! the transfer to Shelton was awesome!! we have one of the best views when the sun comes out!! We have a ton of people that we are working with but since I've been here we've only been able to see like 3 of them haha. fun little side note, one of the investigators refuses to call us by Elder because she was raised "respect your elders" and she's older than us so she wont call us that, but anyways she gives us nicknames that don't really mean anything haha so mine is Jack! I have no clue why but it works haha my companions name is Sid. so in Shelton we have Spanish missionaries that we split with and tract with them. so this past week I've been brushing up on the very few bit of Spanish I do know haha and when we come to a Spanish door I can usually get the basics of the conversation haha its pretty cool! I don't have much to say because I've only been here like a week :P I love everyone! I know this gospel is true! I love the book of Mormon! READ THAT BOOK!!! ITS MAGIC!!!

                        

           -Elder Garr

Transfers!!!!!

     This past Saturday we got our transfer calls!!! i bet all of you are wondering where im going or if im going at all!!! I am being transfered out of forks and i will be serving in the Shelton 2nd ward!!!!!!!! my new mailing address is

 

1127 N. 13th st. #4

Shelton, WA 98584

 

I hope to get lots of letters!!! This past week in forks has been just like every other week...a whole lot of nada!!! we have been tracting a ton and we had a new investigator but she is no where to be found. our other investigator is still smoking and living with his girlfriend... oh well we will have to put our faith in the lord on this one.  last P-Day we went to a park and played ultimate frisbee with our whole zone!!! that was super funn except i didnt have cleats so i was slipping all over the place but still!! it was super fun!! I really have no clue what to say now because in forks every letter home has been the same :P I have a stong testimony of this gospel. i know i have an older brother Jesus Christ that watches over me and knows exactly what im going through. the book of mormon is the word of God. I love being a missionary!!! i love and miss all or you back home!!!

                                                     -Elder Garr

HaPPy EaSTeR!!!!!!!

       This past week has been pretty uneventful :/ we have been doing a ton of tracting and trying to find people to teach. Missionary work is hard...but i love it! We have had some less active members come back to church recently!!! One of the worst thing as a missionary is to go to your mailbox and get nothing for a consecutive week :P Everyone needs to write me!! (im going to be selfish for just a second here) but i love getting letters from home and i try to get a response to your letter out as soon as i can!! oh and if anyone want to send anything in a package i need page protectors and some binders (the bigger the better). just sayin ;) I love missionary work! i love talking to complete strangers about what i believe!! (even though we all grow up with our parents saying right before you walk out the front door "remember who you are and DONT TALK TO STRANGERS!!!) its really fun to talk to strangers!!! How has everyones experience with handing out a book of mormon going?!?!? im still waiting to hear back from...ALL OF YOU!!! slackers... Well i love you all!! hope you had a good Easter!

                                          -Elder Garr

     These pictures are of a little girl that fell asleep and her older brother and i decided to build a card tower on top of her while she was asleep!! talk about challenging!!! it was super funny!! the last two are :

 Me on a marina in sequim!! and then Elder Hathaway (my first companion) who is in my zone now!!!

                                      Little Girl

                                      Older Brother and Elder Garr showing how proud they are.

                                                 Kyle on the marina in Sequim

                                                  Kyle's 1st companion: Elder Hathaway

hello everybody!!!

       This past week has been pretty awesome!!! We had the chance to go up to Clallam Bay and Sekiu (C-Q)  and visit some less actives! we went over to a less active named Jon. he is awesome!! We went over and taught him the first lesson again because he said he wants a refresher course :) so we taught him and then i invited him to church on sunday and guess what!!! he came to church!!! super awesome!!! it was kind of funny because when we were at his house i told him if he wasn't at church on sunday i was going to call him and voice my frustration to him... when he walked into the foyer and started talking to bishop he turned and pointed at me and was like "Elder Garr was going to call me and voice his frustration with me if i didn't show up to church today...so i'm here!" it was super funny and we all had a good laugh :) Side note... that awesome moment when you are writing this letter and your email refreshes itself and you have a new email in your inbox...that just happened to me...(you know who you are) ;) anyways Jon came to church and we are going back over there sometime this week to teach him again and he said that he is going to start re-reading the book of mormon and praying about it and that he is going to start coming back to church!! I love missionary work!! We also had the chance to teach a lesson with another less active the same day with someone sitting in on the lesson!!! any guesses?!?!? Jon and his wife sat in on the lesson with Melody!! it was super powerful and i invited Melody to church and she said she was going to try and make it but she didn't...so i get to call her and voice my frustration ;) This last sunday i had the chance to play another musical number in church!!! I played Redeemer by Paul Cardall!!! I had a ton of people say that the song touched them :) I love how music can do that to people :) like when i told everyone about how i was asked to play a musical number in my last ward and my dad (sorry dad calling you out) said that the song made him cry :) music is awesome!!! I had one lady in the ward come up and tell me how the song touched her. the song starts off one note at a time, and gradually gets more and more complex. she said thats how new converts in the church feel. when they first come to church they are like that one note. Over time as they grow in the gospel they become more and more complex like the song does :) i had never thought of this song in this way. I love being a missionary! I love doing the lords work! being in the Beautiful WA-TAC is the greatest! I love how music can touch the soul :) i love and miss everyone!!!

                          -Elder Garr

                                     Here's an map of where Clallam Bay and Sekiu are located:

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hola everybody!!!

           This week has been very boringly busy (yes i like to make words up) we have been told by our bishop to go and meet all the active members in the ward. so we have made our way through the ward list meeting people! some of the members are really awesome! others are kind of sketchy... We had a service project this last saturday and elder warren and i decided to bike to save miles on our car...bad idea... we made it almost to the members house and when i was riding my chain broke...dont ask me how i managed to break a bike chain but it happened...while we were working one of the members went to the store and bought me a replacement link for my chain (told ya some were awesome) I have yet to fix it since we have been busy. We also had an exchange this past week where one of the zone leaders came to forks with me and elder warren was with the other zone leader in Port Angeles. The ZL that was with me is Elder Bell who happened to be my District leader my first 2 transfers so we had a blast!! He served in forks back in october and one of the families that we hang out with is really cool so we decided to go visit with them and have dinner with them. we walked in and she was on her computer and so we just stood there waiting for her to notice bell. finally she asked if bell was here and i said no but bell said yes. so she looks at us and says well which is it yes or no and looks away still not noticing bell standing right next to me. then she made the connection and we all started laughing pretty hard :) when bell was on this exchange with me we decided to go to La Push which is on an indian reservation!! I tracted for the first time on the res. :D it was pretty sweet!! I love how the natives all let their dogs roam free there :P sometimes its kind of sketchy walking while these dogs are barking at you and following you. but it was way cool because La Push is right on the Ocean and oh my...the ocean is so legit up here. everything leading up to the ocean is green!!! I dont know if ive ever seen this much green before!!! Well i know that this gospel is true. the Book of Mormon is the true word of God. Share it with someone!! im still waiting to hear from people on how their experiences are going!!! I love you all!!!

                       -Elder Garr

Hola everybody!!

            So being in forks has been pretty awesome! fun fact: everyone in forks hates twilight :P The area is so small that if you blink you miss it. Everything is fairley close to us so we get to drive everywhere which is nice :) My companion is Elder Warren and he is from Georgia. He has been out one transfer longer than me :) When we left tacoma on transfer day we left at about 6:30 and didnt get to our apartment till about 10 pm. it was the longest drive i have ever made :P Everyweek for P-Day and District meeting we have to take a bus to Port Angeles. The bus ride takes about 1 1/2 hours :-| We got to our apartment and it was totally trashed... There was garbage everywhere. The dishes were stacked a mile high in the sink. It took Elder Warren 1 1/2 hours to do dishes while i cleaned th rest of the place. Also there was no progress records as to who the previous elders were wokin with or anything. so we are shooting in the dark with this one :P The first picture is of Steve...he was the apartment pet...we lost him... the second picture is of my planner the lily shill drew for me!! :) the third one is of Elder Bowser and myself with one of our converts Alex Farnsworth. The fourth picture is of Alex's family and us elders!

PS: The area is very small:P there are no stores around us :P all we have is a thrift-way store and subway.that's it. church has about 60 people. both Elder Warren and i have to speak next week in church.


   Elder Garr

Pic #1: Steve, apartment pet.

Pic #2: Kyle's Planner created by Lily

Pic #3: Elder Garr, Elder Bowser, & Alex Farnsworth

Pic #4: The Elders and Alex's Family

Pic #5: Map showing where Forks, WA is located. Hint: Near the coast & Canada

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TRANSFERS!!!!!!!!!!

       So im guessing you all want to know where i will be serving for the next 6 weeks!?!?!?! I am leaving port orchard and going to...(drum roll please)..........Forks, Washington!!! it is the biggest area in the mission and from Tacoma it's about a 3 hour drive!!! crazy!! My new companion will be Elder Warren!! i know absolutely nothing about him so my next email will have some details about him!!! We had another baptism this past sunday!!!! (but i forgot my camera at the apartment so i will send pictures next week) His name is Alex Farnsworth!!! He is an un-baptized child of a less active family that is starting to come back to church! Elder Bowser performed the baptism and i got to comfirm him!! also in sacrament meeting i had the chance to confirm Cody Brooks!!! Two confirmations in one day!! who knew?!? Anyways regarding my new area im going up near where my last companion is. Elder Hathaway will be in my zone! Forks is so far out there that For district meeting and P-Day we take a 2 hour bus ride to the next area!!! told ya it was the biggest area in the mission! OH!!! so yesterday (sunday the 3rd) We were driving into the church parking lot when i noticed a guy and his friend walking to their car to get something. i looked at him and he looked so familiar!! After we passed them we got out of the car and i was looking at these 2 guys like a creeper. so i walked in the building and these guys caught up to me and i turned around and one of them was an elder that served in the mesa az Eastridge ward on his mission!!! I cant remember his name to save my life but he is like 6' 2" and has blonde hair! its crazy that he served in my home ward and when he got back like 2 weeks ago i was serving in his home ward!!! small mormon world!!! it was neat to catch up with him. but its wierd because he is no longer an elder and im the elder now :P I can remember when i would get a call from the missionaries back home and they would need a ride somewhere. I drove this guy around town a ton of times back in AZ :P Anyways im running out of time on the computer and i still have more people to write! i love everyone! i love being a missionary!!

                               -Elder Garr

ps. My new mailing address is 

Elder Kyle Garr

P.O. Box 1132

Forks, WA 98331

:) feel free to send letters here :)

Also, here's a random picture I found of Kyle on the Tacoma Mission Blog. I know nothing about the picture but it looks like Kyle is doing well.

Hola Everyone!

     This week has been pretty lame :/ on Saturday we went and did a service project for a less active in the ward. we are still working on digging tree stumps out! but this last Saturday i was digging around a root and a sharp pain hit my lower back and shot down the back of my leg. The chiropractor that i have been seeing had mentioned that when the pain shoots down either leg it means you have pinched a nerve. I have been pretty much crippled these past couple days :/ Thanks family for that gene pool :P On a happier note we are planning another baptism for the 3rd of march!! It is for a UBC that is 11 yrs old! he is super stoked! this week will probably be a ton of planning for that!

       Transfer calls are this coming Saturday!!! Please dont send anything through USPS!!! I get the call on Saturday and i will let everyone know my new address on monday if i am moving or not!! If i do leave and you do send the letters and things it will be a pain to get them back!!!

      I love being a missionary!!

                          -Elder Garr

Baptism!!!

     Hola everyone!!! This past week has been amazing! We had a baptismal service on sunday the 17th for Cody Brooks! I had the wonderful opportunity to be the one to baptise him!! It was amazing! Everyone was doubting me because I'm a scrawney 6 foot tall 160lb missionary and Cody is 6' 5" and at least 300lbs! All it took was one time! In 2 weeks on March the 3rd i will get to confirm him because next week is stake conference! This past week has been planning for the baptism. we found 2 new investigators that we are teaching! They are a couple named Heather and Jimmy! Heather realizes that she needs to turn her life around and Jimmy hasn't really grown up yet... We will keep working with them and see where it goes! other than that we've been pretty busy with the baptism and things of that nature! this Gospel is the greatest! I love missionary work!

                                       -Elder Garr

The first two photos are pictures of a board (pieced together and then where i broke it) that i punched through for zone meeting. the zone leaders asked us one of our fears and then wrote it on the board and everyone got to punch through their own board to overcome that fear! it was pretty awesome!

The third picture is the desk of a busy Elder! (Me)

The fourth picture is Elder Bowser, Cody Brooks, and myself!

Kyle's mom keeps asking questions and here are some the answers:

  1. I haven't had to use my bike yet, so I have no clue if it's a good bike.

  2. We make breakfast ourselves and most of the time we have mac & cheese or ramen for lunch.

  3. Most of the time we have dinner with a member but there are those nights that we will go out to eat.

  4. My companion Elder Bowser is from Provo, Utah and my last companion Elder Hathaway is from Memphis, TN.

  5. The weather is between 40 - 65 degrees but I love this weather, I don't miss the sun at all. 

  

One Hectic Week!

hola everyone!!!

 

   This week has been pretty hectic! we have been teaching a ton of people and working with UBC's and PMF's

(Un-Baptized Children and Part Member Families) one of the people we are working with is a boy named Alex. He is ten years old and both of his parents are members but the mother is less active. Its crazy to think how some people can just go inactive. I dont see how at one point in your life you go from knowing the truth of the church and seeing the blessings that you get when you live the gospel to not going to church. The one thing that is a reassurance is the saviours atonement for each and everyone of us. No matter how far down the road of sin we go, we can always use the power of the atonement and turn our lives around. This week we went and taught Cody the word of wisdom and right then and there he gave us the rest of his tobacco and told us he was done smoking and to throw away the tobacco. Its amazing how the gospel can effect others lives! I am sill waiting for those who read my last email to write me about the challenge i gave out!!! DO IT!!! by just sharing the BofM with someone it may not affect them right away but it will affect them later in life. everyone can use the atonement in their life! Be a member missionary!!! give the elders in your area people to work with! sit in on the lessons with them! it makes such a big difference to an investigator when they already have a tight bond with someone they know! I love this Gospel! I love being in the WA-TAC Mission! I love everyone out here and back home!!

                                            -Elder Garr

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Video from October 27, 2012

This was a recorded while they were practicing to sing in Sacrament. I missed the beginning where Kyle did a solo. Missing the music in our home that Kyle brought. (Let me know if the link doesn't work.)

Mom, Kyle, Kinlee, and Lexi

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It's Been A Crazy Week!!!

     This whole last week has been crazy with transfers and everything! Elder Bowser is my new comp. and he is really funny! our sarcasm is very alike! we have a greenie living with us in our apartment! he is pretty sweet. this last week we have done a ton of tracting! we have put two people on date!!! the first is Shirley and her daughter Vanessa. they didn't come to church so it has to be pushed back a week. we also tracted into a guy a couple weeks ago and so elder bowser and i decided to go check up on him. when we knocked on his door he wasn't home but his older brother was there and we talked to him for an hour! his name is Cody and he is the biggest teddy bear! he is at least 6' 5" and at least 300 lbs. he accepted to be baptised and so we put him on date for the 16th of this month! he came to church and said he really liked the atmosphere. we will hope to see him at church next week and then baptise him!!! other than that things have been pretty mellow. the weather up here is beautiful! its like 55-60 degrees everyday and it hasn't really been raining these past couple days! the sun has been shining and its been awesome. That is still one thing i don't really miss about Arizona, the sun. there is too much of it! I love this gospel! the book of mormon is true! I'm giving everyone that reads this email a challenge. hand out at least one book of mormon to a friend or someone you meet. don't be scared. Just do it! once you do it email me about the experience you have. one thing you can do is write your cell number in the book and tell them if they have any questions to call you. i also challenge everyone to read from the book of mormon at least 30 mins a day! just pick a time everyday and just do it! i promise you that as you read the book of mormon 30 mins a day you will see the effect it has in your everyday life. i love and miss everyone! 

                                   -Elder Garr