June 30, 2014

  The last email Tracie sent congratulated Kyle for becoming the "NEW" District Leader. We received an email the previous Tuesday (06/23/2014) telling us of his acceptance. We are always proud parents but this past week we were especially proud. Good job Kyle. Tracie talked about our week and how we sent the girls to Texas to spend several days with our old neighbors the Leeks. Tracie asked more questions about college when he returns and when does he want to start because we'd have to enroll him if he plans on starting in January. She also asked if he has ever had to deal with bed bugs. The final question was "How was your week? Don't skimp." Below is his email:

sorry about the email last week :P i didnt have much to say :) i dont go on vacation like you do :P plus im not the only missionary that skimps on emails!! there is a sister in my zone and she didnt even write her parents because she didnt feel like it.. :P but this week has been alright. this week we have done a lot of walking! i hate riding bikes... oh and guess what!!! i saw the sweetest looking bike the other day! and its not a pedal bike...its a motorcycle!!! haha love them!!!!!!! so anyways last week i had my first district meeting! it went pretty well! the elders and sisters i have in my district are pretty freakin awesome!!! i have two sets of spanish! i have the elders and the hermanas and then the zone leaders!! over all a pretty good week! 

so what do you think of coming up to Washington in January?? thats when i would like to come back up :) its gunna be cold but i love the cold!! lemme know what you think!! :) 

 love and miss everyone!!!

                               -Elder Garr

June 15, 2014 (Father's Day)

Tracie talked about the pictures that members forwarded to us via mobil phone on Father's Day. She told him it was awesome that he was able to indirectly wish his dad Happy Father's Day. Tracie talked about waking up and giving dad his gifts. She also let Kyle know that this is the 1st time in 8 years that we haven't gone somewhere for Father's Day weekend. Now for Kyle's email.

glad to hear that things are going pretty well! so funny story!!!!!

    so andrew and averi (the kids elder grandstaff and i baptized in kent) i email them to keep in touch and their mom said that their cat had its kittens and that Averi named one Kyle!!!!!!!!!!!!!! how boss is that!! yup i have a cat named after me :) 

so this week has been pretty good! we have talked with a lot of people! we also had a ward potluck! one of our investigators was able to come to it and also to church! she had a really great time and the members did a really good job of fellow-shipping her!! She is committed for the 12th of July!!!! she is a sweet old lady!! haha her name is betty and she is about 80yrs old!!! she is awesome! we have also been doing a lot of service! for some reason when i get to an area the members and nonmembers all of a sudden need tons of service done! its awesome though because it gets us out of our white shirts and ties and into normal clothes :) plus we get to work with our hands!! 

i love and miss everyone!!!! 

                                            -Elder Garr

Here are the pictures that were sent to us on Father's Day by Sandy and Jex.

June 9, 2014

Tracie started this weeks email off by counting down how much time Kyle has left even after he asked her nicely not to last week. This week Tracie talked about the girls leaving for Girl's Camp and all the extra running around we had to do for nick nacks. Tracie also let Kyle know that Kinlee's driving is getting better. She also let Kyle know that she finally went to the eye doctor and that she needs progressive eye glasses and that she is getting contacts. Tracie has trouble with eyes and currently struggles putting the contacts in and out. Onward to Kyle's email below:

seriously dont count down. at least dont tell it to me. keep the counting down to yourself. 

 so this week has been pretty awesome! we helped this little old lady move and as "payment" she agreed to come to church and learn more and now she is committed for baptism on the 12th of July!! super stoked for that! the area is warming up to my awesomeness :P haha just kidding this area is pretty cool. my comp is chill and we do work! this week we have done a lot of service! lots and lots of it! Elder Andrasko noticed that as soon as i came to the area we started doing all of this service! i love doing service so it works out for me!! so other than that im doing good. i do need another pair of inserts though. these ones are worn out :P and possible some new basketball shorts. im too cheap to go and buy some but i need some new pairs :P love and miss everyone!!

                                           -Elder Garr

Here are some pics that Kyle forwarded to us.
we were doing service at a members and they had a trampoline and so another elder and i were doing backflips on it. and then we were pressure washing the back patio and we spelled Elder Meyer, Jeremy cook (member), and my last names in the junk on the patio :)

June 1, 2014

Tracie started this email off by noted that Kyle had 6 MONTHS LEFT.  She asked how Federal Way was and how his bike was holding up. Tracie also mentioned a party we went to and how she was able to explain what a mormon mission was. She also talked a little bit about what the girls have been up to.

so to start of this email i thought i would mention a couple words of wisdom... are ya ready for it???

no counting down!! :) love ya! 

so federal way is pretty much......not as cool as Kent... haha but im learning to love the area. i keep up with a couple of members from kent via email :) there still doing good. i get a lot of "we want you back in Kent" haha and about my bike.....it is a piece of junk... its nickname is "the mule"... have ya ever ridden a mule??? you get crazy saddle soreness...ya same with my bike!! so we do a lot of walking... so i can totally understand why dad doesn't want to drive with Kinlee. im just like him when it comes to driving. i hate being a passenger. i like to be in control of the car. plus im usually more observant than most of my companions and have almost died with a couple of members because they don't pay attention!! haha so i get where hes comin from :) (dont worry dad i got your back!) 

so those pics of Lexi and kara are freakin awesome!!! i was laughing to hard and i had another Elder laughing pretty hard as well! 

this week has been a lot of trying to get in contact with our investigators and doing lots of service! we helped this old lady move from the 4th floor to the ground floor in her complex... it took forever! we had 2 members from the ward helping and it still took forever! we had to move everything! funny enough i have a drunk person story as well! the second day of helping her move there was a party going on in the lobby of this place (it was an old person complex O.P.K for short) so this lady was turning 72 and her whole family was there and drinking and the only way to get from the 4th to the ground was to go through the party haha needless to say we got some weird looks because of the ways we were moving some of this stuff! for example: we took a blanket and layed it out flat...then we put all of her clothes in this blanket...then we tied this blanket up and placed it on a furniture dolly...then since the blanket covered the dolly we took a golf putter and used that to pull this mass of clothing in a blanket!!! haha it was awesome!!!! 

i love and miss everyone!!!

       -Elder Gar

Here is the picture Kyle was referring to as being "freakin awesome!!!"

Oh the things girls will do when they are bored. They walked around the house mocking boys.

May 27, 2014

It's Memorial Day weekend. This past week was the last week of school for Kyle's sisters. Yaaa, summer is here!!! Lexi is officially in High School. Tracie's email talked about how we celebrated the holiday by going over the the Hawkin's house and a BBQ with the family. We talked about going to Stephen Smith's farewell, who has been called to serve in Honolulu, Hawaii. Here is Kyle's email.

hola!!

ya i get to email today instead!! yesterday the library was closed :P yesterday we did a ton of service and now i am super sore! we moved rock at a members and took down some huge branches and then cut them into small fire wood pieces! then after that we went to one of our investigators houses and helped him out with some yard work which included me taking a sledge hammer and breaking up concrete slabs to lay down for traction for his tractor :) my arms are sore today haha. we called the hammer Thor's Hammer. and he nicknamed me Thor because the hammer was huge and i was the only one that could use it haha!! it was tons of fun! other than that we went and saw some people. did more service. went and tried to see a couple of potentials. did some more service. then taught some of our investigators! 

 we did get invited to a BBQ :) it was pretty good! my new comp is pretty chill. hes not elder holtry and were not in kent :P but he is cool. the new apartment is pretty boss. its in a nice complex :) 

 i didnt get the package yet. but our zone leaders are going to the mission office today and thats where it will be and then they will bring it to district meeting tomorrow! so thats when i should get it :) i love and miss everyone! 

ps could you send me one more pair of those sole inserts for my shoes. they last about 6 months before just becoming totally flat. and my 6 months in these ones are up :P other than that im doing good :) 

       -Elder Garr

May 19, 2014

Well, the last post mentioned that Kyle wasn't being transfer. However, we learned a day later through a member that he was. So in Tracie's email to Kyle she asked him if he really was transferred and if so why? Tracie also let Kyle know that one of his best friends older brother (Blake D) was engaged. That was about it for our email. Below is Kyle's email:

hola!!

ya i got emergency transfered. the elder that they originally assigned to this area in Federal Way couldnt ride a bike and this ward is a bike area. so they took me outta kent and put me in federal way :( Kent was probably my most favorite area that ive been in so far on my mission. it will be the area that i will spend the most time in when i come back to visit! i loved the members there. im having a hard time adjusting to the area just because it was such short notice and the ward isnt like the Kent ward i was in. i have some adapting to do!! my new companion is Elder Andrasko. he is from Oklahoma. hes pretty chill. we did service for some nonmembers and they accepted a book of mormon and said they would read it!! the only bad thing is that the service we were doing was moving furniture because they are moving :P lame sause! haha but things here are pretty blan. we have a couple of investigators but i have only met one of them and they are now out of town. i dont really have much to say because i have been here in the area for about 4 days now.. next week i will have more to say!! i love and miss everyone!!!

                  -Elder Garr

Here are some more pics Kyle sent to us.

the first one is of Jacob Crossan and I. He is the one that was upset that i was leaving. 

the second one is Anna Crossan and I. 

the last one is Me and my new mask that someone gave to me for helping them move a ton of stuff because they were moving!

the first one is of Amber. she is Andrew and Averi's mom. She drove the kids over to say goodbye to me the morning i got emergency transfered. 

the second one is of Andrew and Averi saying goodbye to me :( im gunna miss those kids :)

and the last one is Elder Holtry and I after we found out i was being emergency transfered...we werent very happy.

May 13, 2014

 So this past Sunday we were able to Skype with Kyle for over an hour. It was great hearing his voice!!! We also were able to meet his companion Elder Holtry who has the same personality as Kyle. Hopefully they can stay out of trouble. (jk)  We are so thankful for the members in Washington that are taking care of our son and will be until he returns home in 7 months. Here's this weeks email:

so this week was pretty awesome!! wanna know why???? well transfer calls were sunday night......elder Holtry is staying in kent.....AND SO AM I!!!!!!!!!! i will have spent 7 1/2 months in kent at the end of this transfer! im super stoked!!! and so is elder holtry! were gunna continue to do work here in Kent!! other than that we have just been seein the same people!! workin with them and trying to help them progress in the gospel!! missionary work is awesome!!! i dont have much of anything else to say seeing how i just skyped 2 days ago.. not much has happened since then.. i love and miss everyone!

           -Elder Garr

Here are some pics from Kyle's latest baptism of David on May 10, 2014.

 

These next 3 pictures are odd. Kyle said the bacon soda was horrible and the spider was on some burlaps they were moving.

These last two pictures were posted on Facebook by Anna Marie who lives in Kent, WA where Kyle is serving. We love it when people that Kyle comes in contact with are nice enough to take and post photos of our son. A BIG THANK YOU!!!!