Farewell Talk

October 28, 2010

Dear Mom and Dad,

This week has been really good! I’m so happy I’m staying with my trainee, Sister Despain in the Chat Zone. This is the first time I’ve had the same companion for more than one transfer my whole mission! We did have to move into a new apartment, but it was only like two doors down the hall. When we first moved in, we rearranged all the furniture so it’s set up just like our last apartment. Our room looks so much the same that I fool myself in the mornings. :)

Our investigator, Jessica (2) is getting baptized this Sunday, October 31. I am so excited for her. She is really changing her life for the good. She accepts everything we teach her about the church and she knows it’s all true. Through reading the Book of Mormon, saying her prayers and sincerely asking God and going to church, she has received personal revelation and knows the truth. She is my first baptism that I found, taught and saw baptized. When we found Aksel from Norway he had already met with the sister missionaries in Chat. We just had to commit him to call the missionaries in his area. When Jessica (2) came online, I was the one mainly chatting with her because my companion was setting an appointment with someone else at the same time.

Our other investigator, Jessica (1), is still on date for November 6, for her baptism. Her local missionaries don’t teach her like they should. They haven’t taught her lesson two or three or gone over the interview questions. They only met with her once a week and her baptism is a week a way. Sometimes 19 year-old boys bother me. They didn’t even teach her the restoration thoroughly. They just had her watch the movie, so she doesn’t understand the apostasy or anything about it. Oh well, I guess it’s a good thing we keep teaching her. We were supposed to just pass her off, but that was not going to fly with me. She needs us to teach her simply because the Elders don’t.

Our new investigator, Jessica (yes that would make her Jessica 3) and her husband seem very golden. They live with her uncle who is a member along with his wife and daughter. They went to church last week and are eager to go this week. They want to be baptized on November 13. That means we should have three weeks in a row of baptisms. They were reading the Book of Mormon before we even had our first lesson! I’m really excited about them.

Our other investigator, Lisa, REALLY wants to go to church, but her husband won’t let her. We are trying to help with that, but we don’t really know what to do. She reads the Book of Mormon and prays and she says she knows the church is true, but her husband doesn’t want her to go to church. She says she thinks he doesn’t want her to leave the house at all. Although, she is able to go to her family and she has talked to them about it. Her super catholic dad even thinks she should go to our church if it’s what she wants to do. I’m going to keep praying for her.

We have a few more investigators, but they aren’t really progressing. Efrem is in Ethiopia. He has read the Book of Mormon five times, but can’t get baptized till he goes to church eight times. He’s only been three times because he lives 14-hours away from the nearest church. He has applied for a few jobs near the church, but hasn’t heard back from them yet. I’m praying for him, too.

We haven’t gotten hold of Yvonne, our investigator in Ghana, for some time now. We’ve been calling her, but she never answers. She hasn’t emailed us back in a while either. Hopefully we can get in contact with her soon. She seemed eager to learn about the church when we first contacted her.

Sister Despain and I are doing great. Lately, it seems harder and harder for us to get out of bed and exercise in the mornings. We started a new routine. In the morning we get up, make our beds, get on our knees and have companionship prayer. It’s been really great because we start off our day already focused. We pray for our investigators and the work. My mind is set on the day and I’m more focused as I exercise and study. We have personal prayer later, which is also great because I am more awake and my prayers make more sense. :)

I’m giving my missionary “farewell” talk on Sunday. I’m not really ready for it yet, but it will be good. I’m so happy that I get to speak the same day Jessica (2) is getting baptized. My talk is on forgiveness/atonement, which I think is very fitting because Jessica (2) has experienced forgiveness through the atonement, which gave her the desire to be baptized.

I am so grateful I have this chance to share the gospel with others. I know that I was sent here to help specific people. I’m grateful I get to stay in chat with Sister Despain. This work is incredible!

I love you both so much! I can’t wait to see you in a few weeks. I can’t believe it’s almost time to come home!

You’re always in my thoughts and prayers!

Love,
Sister Aubree Garbett