Bringing Souls to Christ

Mom and Dad,

This will be short since I got to email both of you today. I'm really glad I got to visit with you guys via email. This transfer is going by really slow. That's a bitter sweet thing for me. It's good because I know I'm running out of time as a missionary. But it's really hard because it feels like forever in between my preparation days (p-day). I am so exhausted every p-day! I love starting my p-days off with emailing you though. :)

The work is going good. I'm still getting used to being in Chat. I've adjusted to the the calls we get from the insincere people who come onto Mormon.org. I am also being blessed with the gift of discernment. I can now tell pretty early during the "chat" if someone is seriously seeking the true or not. We have had quite a bit of success lately. A few times we have had three out of six people refer in chat. So, it is fun. Although, many of the people don't keep their appointments. :( We are still finding lots and lots of people to share the gospel with.

I'm loving my mission so much. I'm sad my time is running short. I know that I really am bringing souls unto Christ even if it is through Chat. I know this is Christ's church and He leads it and calls men here on earth to guide us today.

I love you so much. I'm happy mom is doing so much better. You're in my thoughts and prayers!

Love,
Sister Garbett

"The Best Thing I Have Ever Done In My Life!!!"

Aug 19, 2010

Hi Family!

I can't believe how quickly time is passing! Yesterday I got my "trunky papers." :( Anyone who served a mission know what those are (departure papers). Personally, I think it is way too soon for that! I still have three more months left!!!! The mission is seriously the best thing I have ever done in my life! I know without a doubt that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the Lord's church on the earth today! I am so happy that I can be here spreading this wonderful news with the whole world! Literally. We are teaching people right now from India, Zimbawe, California, New York, Ohio, Florida, Liberia, and South Africa... just to name a few. I know that the gospel of Jesus Christ brings so much happiness into my life and many others. I am grateful to share this message with others!

I love you all so much!

Love,

Sister Garbett

p.s.I found this on mormon.org and I love it!


Imagine you found a cure for cancer. How urgently would you spread the news of your discovery? Who would you tell? The gospel of Jesus Christ is the cure for so many of life’s ills that Mormons want to share the good news of eternal life with the same urgency.

The Lord’s Church has always been a missionary church. Jesus Christ’s life was the perfect example of missionary work. During His ministry on earth, he taught the gospel at all times, in all places, and to all kinds of people. Jesus taught the educated men in the temple, the sinners, the faithful and the unbelieving. He also called apostles and other disciples to preach the gospel so more people could hear about the blessings of righteous living. Most of their preaching during Christ’s life was to their own people, the Jews. After Jesus was resurrected, He visited His apostles and sent them to preach to the gentiles. He commanded them, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15).

Most of the Church’s missionaries are around twenty years old, though many members also volunteer to serve after they’ve retired. All prospective missionaries turn in applications to Church headquarters and one of the Twelve Apostles calls them to a specific mission around the world. They spend a few weeks in a training center where some of them learn a new language and all of them rigorously study and practice teaching the gospel. Then they set off to their assigned locations and begin their service. Missionaries’ lives are completely dedicated to sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. They pay their own way and put off school, dating and work for two years in order to focus entirely on doing the Lord’s work.

A common morning for a missionary might consist of waking up at 6:30 a.m., studying the scriptures, and meeting new people to share the gospel with. The afternoon might include discussing gospel lessons with people they meet and volunteering for service in the community. A good night has them teaching the gospel to interested individuals and helping them learn and keep God’s commandments or attending a baptismal service for someone who’s decided to join the Church. They return home around 9:30 p.m. and fall into bed, usually exhausted and happy.

52,000 missionaries are currently serving in 350 missions around the world. They proselytize in every country where the government and political climate allow it. Many missionaries grow to love the areas in which they serve so much that they find it harder to come home after their missions are over than it was for them to leave in the first place.



So true!!!!

"Thine Afflictions Will Be But A Small Moment..."

Aug 5, 2010

Hello Family,

Well, we had transfers! My new companion is in her 2nd transfer. She is from Orlando Florida! We are in the "Chat Zone" and I am not the happiest camper. We have a lot of people get online just to waste our time and say crude things to us. I am working on the delete button in my brain so I can stop replaying the terrible words I read. Mom, you should teach me how to do that I bet you have to do that all the time with things you hear at work. I am trying very hard to stay positive, but so far it is difficult. I'm also a little sad because I won't be on the square very often, just a couple of hours a day.

Heavenly Father has a plan for me, I'm not sure what I need to learn, or who I need to meet, but I am really working on faith and trust in His plan. Today we were taking a couple on a tour through “God's Plan,” but I think I needed the tour more than they did. I have seen that same presentation probably a hundred times, but this time something really stood out to me. The last video clip is all about the restoration. It is so basic and goes through all of the points in the restoration in only six minutes! It's incredible. Anyway, as I was watching it this time some of the crude things I was told during one of my chats yesterday came into my mind. I felt very yucky and thought "Heavenly Father, why would you put me through this?" Just then I refocused on the video and the narrator said, "Incredibly, even the Savior was persecuted and rejected." It was a very humbling, yet comforting thing to hear. I felt a little like I had just experiences a very small fraction of how Joseph Smith felt in Liberty jail as he received the revelation "...thine afflictions will be but a small moment…"

I know I need to trust more in Heavenly Father's plan for me as His daughter. I know there are people online waiting to hear my testimony. I think this may be the place where the promise in my setting apart blessing will come to pass. The mission is always hard, but it is definitely worth it!

I love you so much! I'm learning a lot and always striving to become better. You're always in my thoughts and prayers!

Love,
Sister Garbett

"A Successful Week!"

July 31, 2010

Mommy and Daddy,

Hello! This week has been fun! Monday we got to go to Cotton Wood Canyon. It was kind of weird because I went last year in my first transfer. I wore the same sweater that I did the year before. It was a lot of fun and I got a little bit of a tan. :~) Later that day we got back to the Square in perfect timing. We met a young couple at the stop light who were on a date. We showed them the new Temple Display in the South Visitor Center. We talked to them and invited them to refer a friend and we ended up getting seven potentials!!! It was great!

We got to work at Welfare Square the rest of the week except for Thursday because we went to the Humanitarian Center. We got at least one potential a day. There aren’t very many non-members who go to those venues. So we get to work a lot with the members, which I really like.

There weren’t very many super memorable experiences this week, but it was overall a successful week. I really love the work. We have transfer calls on Monday. It’s weird because if any sisters go outbound for three transfers I will be gone by the time they return. I’m feeling like my companion and I may be together this next transfer. That would be interesting, since I’ve never been with a companion for two transfers! I will wait to send this letter until after transfer calls and I will let you know what’s happening.

Anyway, the work is going well! I’m loving it here. I’m still learning and growing. I hope all is well at home. I love you!

Love,

Sister Garbett

Happy Pioneer's Day

July 24, 2010

Mom and Dad,

Happy Pioneer's Day! This day 163 years ago the pioneers arrived in the Salt Lake Valley and Brigham Young said, “This is the place.” Crazy that now I’m a missionary here, right!? We’ve had a lot of good experiences this past week. It will be hard to hand write them all, but I love you enough to do it!

Thursday we were planning to contact at the North Visitor Center at the Jerusalem map at 11:00am, but for some reason it felt weird. So my companion and I decided to take our 10mp study at that time because we forgot to schedule that in for the day. We were on our way to the South Visitor Center when we met a woman. She wanted to know where the Joseph Smith building was. We told her we were going that way and would walk her there. As we did we taught her a little and she was so prepared. The spirit was so strong and I barely had to invite her to receive the missionaries. She was so ready to have the missionaries visit with her and deliver her a Book of Mormon.

After that we got our bags and headed home. We barely made it out of the gate when an older gentleman stopped us. He introduced us to his recently returned missionary, grandson. We talked to them and had a great conversation. The grandson shared with us that while on his mission he had had great experiences with Temple Square referrals, so he was willing to give us another name. He gave us a name of a friend from high school. My companion called his friend the next day and he was so prepared to hear the gospel. The friend, of course, received our invitation to have the missionaries visit with him. When my companion called the grandson who had referred the friend back to let him know what happen, the returned missionary almost cried with joy. He said he felt bad that he had waited so long to share the gospel with him.

On Friday we met a few really prepared people as well. A couple with their son, who was probably 27 years-old, was visiting. They came up to us and started asking questions. They were from New Mexico and said they have friends who are members of the church. The couple shared that they had been to our church and had even met before with the missionaries. They were very willing to meet with the missionaries again and their son was excited to meet with them as well. We got two referrals and a potential from them, also. They wanted us to call their other son. The woman kept talking about how peaceful she felt on Temple Square. At the end she told us, “I knew there was a reason we met you!”

When Heavenly Father prepares people, they can feel the spirit and they are so eager to refer. This church is true!

I love you so much!

Love,
Sister Garbett