"I'll Go Where You Want Me To Go"

To my amazing family and friends,

I am so sorry for not writing proper emails these past few weeks. It was been busy here in Newcastle. This past week we have been getting Dean ready for his baptism this weekend. He is so ready to make the change to follow Christ and his example. Shannon (his friend, who is a member) has been helping him along his journey of become a member of Christ's church. The both of them have helped me become stronger in so many ways. 

So I would like to share a hymn with all of you today. It is called "I'll Go Where You Want Me To Go."

​Now my version...

🎶I will be on an air-plane, flyin' over that England sea, 

This Wednesday I'll be flying home

Cause the Lord told me, it must be. 

I am answering, the Holy Ghost's voice 

To come home three weeks early. 

I am singing this tune to tell all of you, you will get me sooner then you think

So..... I'll go where you want me to go, dear Lord, 

To Utah's mountain over the sea; 

I'll head the call you asked me, dear Lord; 

To Utah, my friends, I will  to be.🎶

Hope that made sense. I did wrote that in 15 minutes so you will have to give me a break. Last p-day I thought I was going home in April but I received a prompting (as it states above) and I am coming home this Wednesday night. This was probably a shock to a lot of you, and I am still trying to wrap my head around it but you know what they say, “The Lord works in mysterious ways.” I am going to have to cut my email here but when I get home I will send a more detailed letter of my mission and all that I have learned. I have been so very grateful to have served a mission. It has blessed me in so many ways. I'm glad I have chosen to serve Heavenly Father and His children. When I first came out I thought I was going to change England. I was wrong. England changed me, for the better. Excited to see you all. 

With much love, 

Sister Garrett (soon to be Melissa.....weird....)

P.S.  By the way, my folks are having an open house for me on Saturday, but they will have to email the details because I really can’t think that far ahead right now. 

Newcastle with Chinese and Georgies!

Hello family and friends,

Just so you know, this email is going to be short and sweet. Newcastle is great! I am loving it!! It is massive though. I get lost sooo easily. Our area has a university and their are quite a lot of students. There are a lot of nationalities. Mainly Chinese. The Chinese sisters gave me a Chinese name, which is Sister Jia. They also helped me construct this in Chinese. 我是加姐妹 我是耶稣基督后期圣徒教会的传教士 (My name is Sister Jia. I am a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.) The accent here in Newcastle is quite unique. It is a mix of Scottish and English. I will get some sayings for you all next week.

We are working with two investigators right now who are working towards a baptismal date. Dean is scheduled to be baptised on the 26 of March and Rob is going to be baptised on the 2 or 9th of April. It is quite exciting! We have found some potentials this past week that we hope can become investigators.

To please, my parents here is a little bit about Sister Cockburn:

Age: 20

Hometown: New Zealand.

Also, lived in: Australia

Nationality: kiwi, Scottish, Samoan

Hobbies: too many. Sport, art, playing instruments (jamming), dancing, photography, camping. "Anything and everything. Oh wait, swimming."

Interests: music, India, beach, different cultures, (direct quote) "I'll stop it there before I get carried away... FASHION! and teeth."

Live anywhere: Hawaii

Dream Holiday: Japan

Future job: "Deciding. Dentistry."

dream job: fashion designer or singer

5 words that describe you: weird, non-judgmental, creative, caring, and zealous.

Worst fear: sharks

Favorite Color: Royal Purple

Favorite Animal: elephant!

Favorite Temple: Hawaii

Favorite Season: summer

Favorite Car: Range Rover 2014

Favorite Singer: Alisha Keys

Favorite Book of Mormon Prophet: Ammon

Favorite Disney Movie: Tangled

Favorite Food:

breakfast: crepes; cream, strawberry & chocolate

Lunch: Greek salad

Dinner: lazona w/ garlic bread

Dessert: Banoffee pie

Vegetable: potato

Fruit: watermelon

Hope you all have an exciting week! Next week I will try to write more. Emailing time feels like it is cutting down.

With much love,

Sister Garrett

Transfers....

Hiya mates, (family and friends)

I am sorry this email is going to be a short one but I am running out of time so I will tell you all the details as short as possible. Last Tuesday, Sister Weakley and I received a call from President Pilkington that Sister Weakley needed to go home and that he booked a flight. Sister Weakley and I packed up her stuff and she left the next morning for home. It was a very emotional week due to that. But I feel so very grateful that I got to serve with Sister Weakley. I learned so much from her. I learned how to serve, love, have fun, enjoy life, and become more Christlike. She really taught me much and I am glad I was her companion for two transfers.

When Sister Weakley left I went into a trio with the other sisters in the flat. Sister Gornicak and Sister Van Zyl. They were lovely and very understanding of the whole situation. The week was busy because we had to fit two missionary schedules but we made it work. So now comes transfers. I expected to stay and get a new companion. I was right with one thing.... I have a new comapaion. She is from New Zealand and her name is Sister Couburn. She is lovely and I am excited to serve with her. As for my area, I will be leaving South Shields which I am quite upset about. I was just starting to get to know the ward and get comfortable. I am sure there is a reason for me to leave. I am heading to Newcastle which is in the same Stake as South Shields so it is not to far away. Well that is all the news. I am doing well and I hope all of yous are too! Until next week.

Love, Sister Garrett

God pulls pranks when you go knocking

Good morning family and friends! I hope yous all (that is Jordy) had a great week. This week has been wonderful compared to the past few weeks. My companion, Sister Weakley, has been gaining some of her strength back. Sister Weakley has been told by doctors to start exercising so her body can get use to the work, because of that her blood has been going high and low randomly so we have stayed in the flat for that. This week we have been able to get out a lot more. In fact we went knocking for a bit last week (the first time since Sister Weakley has been out of hospital). Anyway it was quite funny. The layout of English houses is quite strange. The doors we were knocking are literally right next to each other. We knocked one house once. No answer. Knocked again. No answer again. No body home so we knock on the door right next to the other door. Then I said to Sister Weakley, "I always feel uncomfortable knocking these houses because I am afraid both people will come at the same. That would be so awkward." Guess what? That happened. How embarrassing!!! Sister Weakley and I handled the situation very well. I talked to one and she talked to the other. Thought you all would enjoy that story.

This week we have had a few little miracles. Lately Sister Weakley hasn't been healthy enough to go out and do proper finding so we have been trying by some less-actives. The two less-actives we tried by Saturday night we got TWO potentials. One was a daughter of a less-active and the other was the partner of the less-active. We are going to start working with those less-actives and their partners. This week has more miracles in store. 

My inspiring thought this week is a quote from Jeffrey R. Holland; "This church, the great institutional body of Christ, is a marvelous work and a wonder not only because of what it does for the faithful but also because of what the faithful do for it. Your lives are at the very heart of the marvel. You are the evidence of the wonder of it all." Do not need to add anything because he speaks for himself. Hope you all are doing well. Put your heart into all you do. Love you!!

with love,

Sister Garrett

Good morning family and friends,

The sun is up here in England so I think it will be a great day. I am so excited for spring weather!! I am kind of sick of winter so I hope England gets warm soon. I also hope the weather back at home is treating you all well. My week has been pretty good I think. Sister Weakley and I got out less then last week but I think we used our time more effectively. The past week weeks our finding has not been as successful due to our circumstances but this week was a lot better. Compared to my last week's story of knocking this week knocking went a lot better. 

Sister Weakley and I were heading to a tea appointment and decided to go by some less-actives in the area. The first person we decided to see was a woman named Lisa. We knocked on the door and a man answered the door. We asked if Lisa was home and he replied that she moved out and there have been living there for 4 months. Well we took our opportunity and transitioned to the gospel. He mentioned that he would like his daughter to have christian values and we replied we could help him. We talked to him for a good 10-15 minutes and we will be seeing him and his family this Thursday. I am pretty stoked! I actually haven't taught a lesson in ages. We keep getting flogged but I feel differently about Paul. 

Since Sister Weakley's health, we have been working with members and less-actives. Which seems to bare a lot of fruits lately. We have been building the trust of the members and they have been more excited to share the Gospel. On Saturday we received a referral from a member of a woman he came in contact with while doing his home teaching. There is no better way to do missionary work then as a member. So grateful to be a member of this amazing church. It has truly blessed my life. Thank you all for your amazing emails. Love you all!

Sister Garrett

Zone Conference- 17th of February 2016

Zone Conference was amazing! I always think I am doing fairly well as a missionary until these meetings open your mind on how you can improve. The revelation I have received has expanded my knowledge. There are several things I want to change as a result of yesterday's meeting. So I hope I can convey my feelings to help you understand what I learned. The past few months President Pilkington has talked a lot about putting your heart in the right place. What he means by that is allowing your heart to be in the work and not focus about anything else. It is also aligning your will with God's will. My entire mission I have tried to develop my heart to become apart of the work. I have seen myself grow to look outward and serve others. I have been able to reach out of my comfort zone to share the Gospel. Many things that I thought were impossible at the beginning have been possible. I remember how I hated to knock, I was terrified of street contacting, I felt I was poor at teaching, and many more things. As I have been able to study and focus on my heart, I have been able to overcome those obstacles. I am not perfect in anyway and it was not my efforts but trusting in the Lord. That is what I have learned about the heart. That is it not being prideful and boastful but it is acknowledging God's hand in your life. 

I learned yesterday, at Zone Conference, that the heart is also realizing your motivation. President Pilkington asked a question to all the missionaries that struck me. He said, "What is your motivation for being on a mission?" As I sat there I asked myself, "Sister Garrett what is your motivation for being on a mission?" Before I tell you my response I will tell you what I would have said the first day of my mission. I would have said something along the lines of; "I have many reasons why I decided to serve a mission. One was that I felt like it was the right thing to do. Another was that I felt like that was expected of me. I also thought by going on a mission I would grow up and gain a stronger testimony. And the reason I am ashamed to admit, I wanted a break. A break from school and from running." That was my answer at the beginning of my mission. My motivation is completely different! I can sum up my motivation in just five words, "I want to serve God!" I honestly believe that is my motivation now. Nothing else matters but wanting to make God's children happy. I feel like my heart is in the work of God. Not only have I seen it help me in my work but I can also see how it will effect my future life. It has affected how I will accept and magnify my future callings. It has affected how I want to be a faithful visiting teacher. It has affected how I want to follow the spirit to help the needs of those around me. By allowing my heart to focus on the Lord's work it has affected my whole life. I am truly grateful for that.

President Pilkington had each companionship to write a four minute talk on obedience. At Zone Conference he said four companionship's were going to be called to share their message. Sister Weakley and I wrote our talk on how obedience and the heart correlate. Think of the story of Nephi, Laman, and Lemuel. The Lord commanded Lehi to have his sons go to receive the brass plates from Laban. All Lehi's sons went and obeyed. The next revelation Lehi received was for his son to go back to Jerusalem and bring Ishmael's family out to the wilderness. All Lehi's sons obeyed. Then Nephi was instructed to build a ship to take his family to the promise land. Nephi and his brothers all obeyed. Nephi, Laman, and Lemuel each reached the promise land. The difference between Nephi and Laman/Lemuel is that Nephi had his heart in the right place while Laman/Lemuel did not.  Laman & Lemuel were obedient to the Lord's commandments but were not blessed. Doctrine and Covenants 64:34 says, "Behold, the Lord requireth the heart and a willing mind; and willing and obedient shall eat the good of the land of Zion in these last days." If Laman and Lemuel will not be blessed with the any 'good of the land' because there hearts were not turned towards God. I have realized that obedience brings blessings when you desire to be obedient because you love the Lord. I have been able to relate this analogy to so many aspects of my life. Whether it be on my mission or even after my mission. Obedience pays a massive part to our eternity. "When that same call comes to you and to me, what will be our response? Will we murmur, as did Laman and Lemual, and say, 'This is a hard thing required of us?' or will we, with Nephi, individually declare, 'I will go. I will do.' (Thomas S. Monson, Willing and Worthy to Serve)" Nephi or Laman/Lemuel? Chose your pick. 

Sister Pilkington gave a talk and used lighthouses as an analogy. Lighthouses are built to withstand immense force from the waves of the sea. We are like those lighthouses strong and built to withstand against any storm. It is like the wise man who built his house on the sand and the foolish man who built his house on the sand. Will we build our spiritual lighthouses strong and with a good foundation? I will be striving to do so. Like any physical muscle we need to build our spirituality to withstand the forces against Satan. Like muscles grow through lifting weight, eating right, and drinking water our spirits need substance to grow us. For example, reading the scriptures, being obedient, praying personally to God, attending our church meetings, and so forth. President Pilkington mentioned something that I think we need all need to be reminded of. He said, "You are armed with the truth. You are given the truth. You are declaring the truth." We are in a spiritual battle against Satan. We are stronger then him and on the winning side. Place your trust in God and not in anything else. Do not waver and continue to build a strong foundation. Be obedient to the Lord and follow His counsel. Develop your heart to be in the right place. If you do these things God will keep you safe. This is what I learned at Zone Conference. I hope you learned something as well. Love you guys!

With lots of love,

Sister Garrett

Resting and reading.

Sister Weakley is doing better. For the most part she has been able to control her blood but sometimes it randomly shoots down or spikes up. She seems frustrated that she cannot control it but I think she is handling it very well! She is an inspiration to me! :) Since her body is adjusting to sugar and insulin we have been resting a lot. As I have been in the flat I have been keeping up on my scripture reading. I love it. Since nothing has happened I would like to share with you more revelation I have received this week and about our testimony meeting yesterday.

I have come to appreciate testimony meetings even more being on a mission. The spirit was so strong yesterday that I had to go up. I shared my feelings that I have had the past few weeks with the ward. They were along the lines of trials and their purpose. As individuals we have many struggles in life that make us question life, and even God. God loves each of His children. Those who are hurting and the ones that are struggling. He loves each of us. Because He loves us and wants us to grow he allows us to have trials to help us grow. He does not like to see us struggle and in pain but he knows our potential.

I was reading about Nephi's life and how positive of an attitude he chose to have admit all his circumstances. The time he broke his bow effected him and his family. (1 Nephi 16:21-25) Nephi must have struggled. He could have easily murmured like his brothers but he didn't he accepted that his bow broke and did something about it! Richard G. Scott said,

"May I share some suggestions with you who face... the testing that a wise Heavenly Father determines is needed even when you are living worthy, righteous life, and are obedient to His commandments. Just when all seems to be going right , challenges often come in multiple does applied simultaneously. When those trials are not consequences of your disobedience they are evidence that the Lord feels you are prepared to grow more. He therefore gives you experiences that stimulate growth, understanding, and compassion which polish you for your everlasting benefit. To get you from where you are to where He wants you to be requires a lot of stretching and that generally entails discomfort and pain." (Oct. 1995)

We can chose to murmur and complain but we will benefit a lot more if we follow Nephi's example. Trials are for our benefit. God does love us and he reaches out for us with open arms! Hope you all have a great week! :)

Until next time,

Sister Garrett

What a mission is about.

I feel like the other sisters and I just celebrated the new year and now it is February. I still cannot believe it. So since Sister Weakley has been out of the hospital she has been very tired. We have been managing her sugar and she has stayed consistent the past few days. But she has been really tired. The past few months her sugars have been really high and now since it is at a reasonable number her body is just trying to adjust back to normal. She has been told to take it easy until she gets back to normal. So that is what has happened the past few days. Last night though we were able to go out and have an experience that has helped to realize how much Heavenly Father and our Savior love each of us.

While Sister Weakley was in the hospital I went to visit her once or even twice a day. As I did so, I realized an elderly woman who was a patient next to Sister Weakley's. I noticed that every time I went to visit Sister Weakley that this woman never had anyone visit her. The other four people in the room, and Sister Weakley got visited but this woman never did. So I decided to talk to her as I visited Sister Weakley.Her name is Majorie. She has been a widow for sometime now. She has no siblings, no children, and not many friends. We talked about her life and laughed. One day I decided to bring her flowers. You should have seen the smile on her face. The more I got to know her the more I began to feel Christlike love for her.  A few days ago after Sister Weakley was released from the hospital we had a feeling to go and visit her. The spirit came over me and testified to me that this is what Christ would have done. I love visiting Marjorie. So much that we are going to continue to visit her and plant a seed in her so that one day she will accept the Gospel.

The past few weeks I have noticed myself grow spiritually. I have been feeling so grateful for the many blessings that I have. Being able to be on a mission has helped me grow in ways that I have never imagined. I thought by going on a mission I would be able to help many people, which has been the case, but I have been surprised to see that I have been helped along the way. That is what the Gospel provides for us, help along the journey of life. I have met so many people on my mission and have taken them by the hand and lead them to Jesus Christ. I have come to realize

that not only have I helped someone come closer to the Savior but I have also come closer to Him myself.

I have tried to learn more of Him by reading the scriptures, specifically the Book of Mormon. I have learned so much the past few weeks. I have been studying the Book of Mormon along with the Institute manual (which I encourage you all to do) and I have received so much insight. One day I came across Omni 1:26 which reads:

"And now, my beloved brethren, I would that ye should come unto Christ, who is the Holy One of Israel and partake of his salvation, and the power of his redemption. Yea, come unto him, and offer your whole souls as an offering unto him, and continue in fasting and praying, and endure to the end; and as the Lord liveth ye will be saved." 

Elder Neal A. Maxwell said to this scripture, "As you submit your wills to God, you are giving Him the only thing you can actually give Him that is really yours to give." (April 2004) I have notice the change in myself as I have committed to come closer to the Savior. I am striving to make my will His and I am noticing the blessings. I love this Gospel and I love Jesus Christ. He wants us to come unto him "and be transformed." (Elder David A. Bednar) Come closer to Him. You can start now. I love you all so very much! Make the most of every moment and enjoy life.

Your friend in England,

Sister Garrett

What a week....

So sorry family and friends for writing so late. This week has been crazy. Let me explain. Two Saturdays ago (16 Jan.) Sister Weakley was having really bad back pains, so we made an appointment at the A&E. Within just an hour she found out she had a urinary tract infection. The doctor prescribed her some medication and said the pain should be gone within three days. Three days passed and the pain was still there. It did not hurt as bad but I could tell she was still in pain. I told her that she needed to call Sister Pilkington (President's wife) and make another appointment. After some time she finally called Sister Pilkington and we made an appointment to see the doctor within 30 minutes. At 3:40 we were at the hospital and the doctor asked to test her urine. After they tested it they said that she has a lot of sugar in her urine and that she needed to take a blood test.

After the blood test we were told to wait an hour and a half for the results. At 7:30 we were taken into see a doctor and he told her that she has type 1 diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is hereditary. The doctor then said to Sister Weakley that she needed to stay overnight for treatment. I freaked out. The night without a companion was long. For the past year I have never been without one. 

To cut the story short, Sister Weakley has been in the hospital and was released yesterday. S

o that is why I am emailing today. The health system here in England is different then it is in America. You are only allowed to visit within certain hours which are 2-4 and 7-8. I went on exchanges with members and with the other sisters in our flat. It was a long interesting week but I am glad to have my companion again and to get back to work. Sorry this is a short email but hope you all have a good week!

With love,

Sister Garrett

A New Year for New Beginnings!

Wow. I cannot believe it is 2016. Where did 2015 go? It has been a great year though. Full of many miracles and memories.The year 2015 for me, was dedicated completely to the Lord and his work. I have loved every minute of it. I am so grateful I have been able to serve a mission. Of course because it is a new year we as individuals make new years resolutions. I have pondered on what I personally need to improve upon and what I can do is to become a better servant of the Lord. I would recommend that each of you do the same. I love this quote by President Monson: "It is not enough to want to make the effort and to say we'll make the effort... It's in the doing, not just the thinking, that we accomplish our goals. If we constantly put our goals off, we will never see them fulfilled." Set goals and achieve them. With the Lord's help you can do all things!

On New Year's Eve Sister Weakley and I watched a film. Which we enjoyed every much. On New Year's day itself we went to the beach and took lovely pictures. We also watched some more films at the chapel and had a very enjoyable day.

Here in South Shields we have had a lot of rain. I have never seen so much rain in my life! I understand why England is so green. Other then the weather things here are going well. Sister Weakley and I have been getting to know the ward even

more. We have been trying by members and less-actives to introduce ourselves and to teach them.

Sister Weakley and I have been doing a lot of finding as well. Which seems to have little success as of now but during weekly planning we discussed on how we can find those individuals who are prepared. We have plans this week to try by all of our potentials and former investigators we found in the area book. We are keeping our heads up and working hard. I am sorry my emails have been so short lately but nothing much has happened. Hope everyone is doing well! Keep your heads up and have a great week!!

That missionary in England,

Sister Garrett

P.S. Our ceiling is not fixed yet but it is getting there

New Year for new beginnings

You mates alright? I am fitting in here in South Shields. The accent here is harder to understand then in my past areas. It sounds more Scottish then anything. I love this area though. The ward here is amazing and so friendly. Christmas was simple this year. I loved focusing more on the saviour and his birth.

Christmas Eve Sister Weakley and I went to a members home. The Cawthornes fed us and we watched Polar Express. Christmas Day we got to sleep in till 8. It was amazing! Even though my natural instinct was to wake up at 6:30. We had a great breakfast and had fun as sisters.

We had Christmas lunch at the Powers (an older couple in the ward).

They feel like my grandparents. I love them. We watched a movie with them and that completed our Christmas. It was so lovely!

Here in England after Christmas is a holiday called Boxing Day. Our Boxing Day was eventful... Sister Weakley and I traveled to Newcastle to shop. Boxing Day is like Black Friday back home. Not as big,

but a lot of the shops have sales. We got tired and went back to our flat to rest. We were watching a film then heard a massive noise. We rewrote a song to explain what happened next. (To the tune "The Wise Man and the Foolish Man")

We were sitting on the coach and heard a CRASH, We were sitting on the coach and heard a crash, We were sitting on the coach and heard a crash, And we were all freaking out.

The ceiling came down and the sisters cleaned up, The ceiling came down and the sisters cleaned up, The ceiling came down and the sisters cleaned up, And it took our boxing day away.

Yes you read that right. Our bathroom ceiling fell down. It has been raining a lot here in England. There seems to be a leak in the roof and the ceiling couldn't take it anymore. Sister Weakley and I cleaned it up and called the mission office. Because it was a holiday we couldn't get someone to fix it right away. So Sister Weakley and I took down some of the ceiling ourself. Part of the ceiling was still falling down. So we got a knife and cut it down. We pulled all the instillation out and cleaned it all up. Mission's teach you life skills. Love it!! Cannot believe this week will start a new year. Make the most of it!! Talk to you guys later. Love you all!

Until next week, Sister Garrett

Snowing in South Shields.

Hello family and friends,

Well two days ago I received a welcome from South Shields... it was snowing. Which was ok for the first thirty minutes until the cold moisture settled into your bones. Snow here is not the same as Utah snow. Here it is wet and slushy. The next day it turned to ice. I was almost fell walking to church. It was great though! :) Other then the weather South Shields is pretty great! We have gotten to know a lot of the ward already. Thursday night we had a Relief Society activity, where we got to meet a lot of the sisters. I still have trouble remembering their names but that is normal. Days here in South Shields are made up of finding, visiting less-actives, and trying by members. We are starting completely from scratch.

As for my companion, (this is to please my parents)😉 her name is Sister Weakley. She is from Pleasant Grove, Utah. She has been out for 13 months now. This is her fourth area like me. She is 20 years old. I interviewed her knowing people would like to know her, so here are her responses...

Birthday: 16 August

Siblings:6

Favorite color: sunset orange

Favorite animal: wolf

If she was an animal a horse would best describe her.

Favorite food: shepherds pie

favorite snack: blueberry muffins

Favorite drink: strawberry lemonade (Not milk? There must be a problem.)

Hobbies: scarpbooking and water aerobics

If you had a day out what would you do? Go to Disneyland with my sister

Dream holiday

: Hawaii

Before her mission she was a nanny and she went to Dixie University in St. George.

After her mission she plans to be a teacher.

Hopefully that pleases people. 😊 Well hope everyone has a fantastic week! This week for us is the mission Christmas party. I am so stoked! Anyway, until next week.

With much love,

Sister Garrett 󾓪

​

Silent Night. Holy Night

Hello family and friends!!!

So sorry that I haven't emailed in so long. These past few p-days have
been hectic. We have been traveling to have zone P-Day in a city
called York. It is an amazing city but it takes an hour and a half by
train so we have been cutting emailing time down. But I will quickly
catch you guys up:

The past few weeks have been the same as my whole mission. Finding. We
have been putting the hours of finding in but it hasn't seemed like we
have had any results. The only person we have found who is solid is
Chelsey who I talked about last week. She has been very busy because
of Christmas so we haven't been able to teach her. The work goes on.
We will find those who are prepared.

The less activities we have been working with are Rose and Anita. Rose
is still smoking but she is trying to quit down. She has been reading
her scriptures from a scripture jar we made her. She absolutely loves
it! I am not sure if I have mentioned Anita before but Anita is so
sweet! I love her so much. I have been able to connected with her. She
is a very sad woman. There are a lot of things from the past that
trouble her. When we first met her she was very closed off. Members
have told us that she doesn't answer the door normally but she did for
us. She has opened up so much to us and the Gospel.

Wednesday our flat was sick. Sister Hart, Sister Jesse, and I were
throwing up. Poor Sister Froerer just had to stay in the flat and look
after us. It was great. The next day I felt a little weak but we went
out and worked. On Thursday night the Pontefract ward went to a
nursing home and sang carols.

Since the First Presidency has wanted the church to improve our
sacrament services, the ward has been coming up with ideas to invite
the spirit. One Sunday, fifteen minutes before the service was going
to start, the Relief Society President came and asked us to sing
before sacrament meeting started. Since then the ward has been coming
on time to hear us sing. Every week they come up to us and ask us if
we are singing. Especially the old members of the ward love it! This
Sunday we sang Silent Night a capella. I felt like tearing up. The
spirit was so strong!!

Well transfer calls were yesterday. And the news is.... Sister Jessee
is staying. Sister Froerer is staying. Sister Hart is leaving. She is
staying in the stake but moving to York. And I am leaving as well. I
am headed more up North. (So in other words it is going to colder.
Yay! 😬) I will opening up a completely new area. Seems like they
really like me area booking. I will be serving with a sister named
Sister Weakley. I am excited!!! Talk to you guys next week.

Much love, Sister Garrett

It is almost December... where has time gone?

Sorry everyone for not writing the past few weeks. I have not had very long to email these past weeks and it looks like it has happened again. I will quickly update you about my week and send some photos to make up. Finding is all that Sister Hart and I have really done this week. All the investigators we have are all busy. It is hard to see them. We have appointments that I hope will go well. From last week's finding we found potentials but one solid one that we have an appointment with. I really think Sister Hart and I can help her. She is a single parent with a 3 month old. She has been praying to God for help. Strange that we knocked on her door.... I know God puts missionaries in the path of those who need the Gospel. Sister Hart and I need to just continue to work hard and have the faith to find others who are prepared.

Hope you all have a good week! Love you all!!

Sister Garrett

Making Christmas wreaths with Relief Society

Remember Remember the 11th of November

Yesterday was Remembrance Day. The day England remembers those who have fallen during the World Wars. It was a special day because we had Zone Conference yesterday. President Pilkington gave everyone permission to write their parents and tell them what we learned at Zone Conference. So here I am writing the both of you. Please share this with Maranda and Rose. You are also more then welcomed to put it on my blog. So here are my thoughts:

Zone Conference yesterday, was inspiring in so many ways. I truly received direct revelation specifically for my needs. I was brought to remembrance of what a mission is truly about; helping others. As missionaries we dedicate our time, talents, health, knowledge, and skills to helping God build His kingdom. The more Christlike love a missionary has for God's children the more they are willing to give. Christlike love is about giving and not accepting anything in return. The help we can provide is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is the job of a missionary to talk to everyone. President Pilkington shared a little saying with us. It says, "Let me help you. So that you can help me. So that we can help them. So that they can help us."

We are all God's children. Each of us are brothers and sisters. We are to look out for each other. One thing I have noticed throughout my mission is that the more we strengthen others the more we are lifted. I really have a strong testimony of that. I look at those that I have helped come back to Jesus Christ. Yes I have helped them come to the truth of the Gospel but they have helped me strengthen my testimony in Jesus Christ. If I am not willing to help then who will? Each of us is put exactly where we are meant to be. I am meant to be serving here in England specifically to Pontefract. I can help lift and inspire people here, as well as them for me.

I have been reflecting on my work lately. President Pilkington shared a video of an Olympic 400 meter sprinter who was favored to take first place. With 150 meters to go he tore hamstring. Even though he hurt himself he was determined to finish the race. The video of the runner touched my heart. I love making analogizes to running because running fits so well to life. In order to run fast you have to work hard. Your time as a runner is closely related to how hard to work. Of course this Olympic athlete trained like he has never before. At the time he was to prove himself he tore his hamstring. Many people would have thought he lost but this Olympic sprinter proved to me that his hard work has paid off. He may have not gotten first place but he finished the race. He left everything on the track. That video helped me remember to just work hard. To give the Lord everything I can and sacrifice it all. At the end of my mission I want to say that I left everything here in England. That I left my heart in England. All it takes is my best. And I needed that reminder. "...labor with your might..." (D&C 75:3)

With that being said it will be hard. I understand that. I understand it even more within the past couple months. One thing President Pilkington said struck me, "If there was no adversity and no struggles, there would be no miracles." Throughout my mission I have noticed that the times we find the individual who is prepared, is when we were working hard. If we were finding investigator after investigator we wouldn't need to give any effort. We are literally finding a needle in a hay stack, like you said. I am prepared to find the needle.

I feel so blessed to be serving here in England. To be on ground of those who fought for freedom. I was reflecting on Zone Conference this morning and a poem Sister Pilkington shared, about the reason why English people wear poppies. I would try looking it up on Google. It was really good. I believe it is called "Why we wear poppies." Something along those lines. It inspired me to create a poem myself of why I love wearing my poppy. Here it is:

Why I wear a Poppy

I think of the men and women years ago

who died in war for England's soul.

I can hardly bare the dreadful thought

that many were taken because they boldly fought.

Because of the soldiers who freely gave

I have the privilege now to help save.

The freedom I have to declare God's word

even though I may not be heard.

They help me know I can do my part

because they died and gave it all their heart.

For this is my reason for wearing a red poppy

and my tag underneath it, so proudly.

I am proud to be a missionary to boldly declare the wonderful message of this Gospel. I truly cherish this calling and responsibility to be here in England. When I am old I will gladly tell my grandchildren that on the 11th of November 2014 and 2015 I was in England on Remembrance Day. That I walked the streets of England and shared the Gospel of Jesus Christ, with the sound of a trump. (D&C 24:12) 

With much love,

Sister Garrett

Loving Missionary Work.

This week I have learned a lot. Sister Hart and I have found it difficult to enjoy finding. It seems like we are constantly finding. So it was hard to find the motivation to find. Sister Hart and I talked and realize we need to approach finding in a different light. We realized that finding isn't just to find investigators but to help God's children on an individual level. When we changed our view of the purpose of finding our attitudes changed. So our plan is to make finding more fun. That is what we feel that was lacking. We are going to try to involve the IPads more and use our resources. I am excited once again to go finding!

This week Sister Hart and I found two new investigators. So Chantelle is a 19 year old we have met twice. The first time we met her we asked if we could come by and she said she was busy. The next time we met her was at the bus stop. Turned out we were going on the same bus as her. I asked her how her day was and you could tell it wasn't good. She told us that she just found out her mom has terminal cancer and is expected to only have a few years to live. Sister Hart and I did our best to comfort her. We explained that in order to truly help her we had to teach her about the Gospel. She accepted a day for us to come by and teach her. Chantelle lives with her boyfriend, Michael, So we ended up teaching the both of them. We planned on teaching the Plan of Salvation but the Spirit told us otherwise. We showed the Because of Him video and testified of Jesus Christ's Atonement. The spirit was so strong in the lesson! We scheduled Chantelle and Michael for the 21 of November. They are great!

So the bad news of the week is that we are no longer teaching Keith or Bata. Here are their stories. We had a lesson with Keith this week. We planned on scheduling him. We asked him if he read Ether 12, and he said no. He told us of how he just couldn't believe in a God. The spirit told me that we had to let Keith go. I thought to myself. "Why would God want us to let Keith go after 3 lessons?" From what I know about Keith is that he can feel the spirit easily so when he comes to have a desire to know God is there, he will receive his answer. It was hard to walk away from Keith's house that night but I know Keith would recognize the feeling of the spirit in his life missing.

Bata was similar. We knocked on her door and instantly I knew we would not see her again. Bata did not have desire to change her beliefs. Even though it was sad to not being able to teach Keith and Bata I am glad we left it at a good note. Sister Hart and I are still searching for that prepared soul. We will find them! Hope you all have a great week! 

Love,

Sister Garrett

I really don't get subject lines sometimes.

Well it isn't much of a surprise. This week Sister Hart and I did a lot of finding. It is England and people here are just not bothered about religion. But besides finding we had a pretty good week. As a new missionary in the mission filed it is good for a missionary to get to know all of the lessons so this week Sister Hart and I went to some less-actives to practice teaching them. It started off Monday evening for Family Home Evening. We went to a older couple named the Spencer's. We practiced teaching the Plan of Salvation to them. The spirit was really strong. The trouble is here in England and I guess everywhere else is that people just make excuses in coming to church. The Spencer's are great people but just do not have the motivation to come. Which to be honest, is very sad. Sister Hart and I will work on them and try to commit them to coming back to church.

Tuesday Val invited Sister Hart and I for tea. She is so good and loving church so much! Val is a very outgoing person and she talks to everyone at church and just befriends them! She is 71 and so sometimes she forgets some of the doctrine that we teach her but she FEELS the truth of the Gospel. That is enough for her. She is an example to me of the Saint I want to become. Someone who follows Jesus Christ completely. Who doesn't ask why but just does it. Later that night we taught Rosemary. We taught her the power of Hope and Faith in her journey to give up smoking. We have  made some goals with her to help her stop smoking. Her desire is lacking just a little but I think her desire to quit smoking will increase the more she reads her scriptures, prayers, and ultimately goes to church.

We finally were able to see Carmin. Our investigator from Romania. I just love her. The lessons we have with her are incredible in the fact that we can communicate with her fairly easily. She has little English but we were able to teach her the first lesson. She understood that there were prophets. She doesn't understand why just select people could be a prophet. We shared Joseph Smith's experience with her and she honestly thought Joseph was just seeing things. We told her that the only way to find out is through prayer. She was in a rush so I don't think she soaked up everything. Hopefully we can see her again next week so she can understand how she can receive answers.

On Saturday we were able to teach Keith. We brought a member with us which I think helped because he could relate with him more. Last time we asked him if he would read Alma 32 for us. He did but it was hard for him to understand it. Keith still doesn't understand how there could be a God. He was unable to come to church which was a shame. He works Sundays and the next day he has off is in 7 weeks. Not looking good for us. I think he has desire to know that there is a God but he just doesn't want to tell us that. He is slightly stubborn. I really think over time he will accept the Gospel. 

The ward's numbers have been decreasing. There are so many less-actives in this ward, it is quite sad. President Pilkington wanted to help us out so he came and did a fireside for our ward. We invited everyone we could! Not as many showed up that we wanted to but it was

quite a good turn out. Several less-actives were there and even non-members! President Pilkington is so inspired! I think the ward really needed what he shared. Well time has come to a close. Talk to you all next week. Keep shining your lights!!

Love Sister Garrett

We preached to a man named Keith

My wonderful Family and Friends,

I hope you all have had a good week! This week is the same as always, finding. Which isn't a bad thing. It just means we are trying to find that person who is ready to accept the Gospel. This week we did 25 hours of FUN finding. Sister Hart and I have fun while we knock doors and street contact. This week we had appointments with Bata and Carmin but they weren't able to meet with us this week. Bata was sick and Carmin was getting her kids ready for school (they just moved to England two months ago) So nothing has happened there, BUT I still think they both have potential. 

Friday we taught two Jehovah Witnesses. More like they wanted to teach us. The kept asking questions and sharing scriptures from the bible that they think proved their point. But to be honest, they didn't have the spirit. That is how I know that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is true. I know it through the Spirit. Sister Hart was really good in the lesson. She bore a lot of testimony that helped invite the spirit to the room. We gave one of the Jehovah Witnesses a Book of Mormon to read. She said she will read it. Another experience this week involving the Holy Ghost. :)

This week we found a man named Keith. He talked endlessly about how God cannot exist. We asked him how he knew and he said look at all the bad things happening in this world. We bore our testimonies and asked if we could share more with him sometime. He said we could come over but that we wouldn't be able to convince him. We said we could not convince him about anything. It was up to him. So we set up an appointment with him Saturday night and off we went.

Our Sister Training Leaders came on exchange with Sister Hart and I all of Saturday. So my friend and STL, Sister Davis, came to the scheduled lesson with Keith. I will be honest. I wasn't expecting Keith to answer the door when we went to his house Saturday night. What little faith I had. We got to know him a little bit better. His life, religious background, and his expectations of our visit. Then before we started the lesson we promised that he would feel the Spirit as we talked. To start it off we asked if we could offer a prayer. He said he would feel uncomfortable so he declined the offer. We respected him so we began to explain our beliefs. We taught Keith to his needs and shared the beginning part of the Plan of Salvation so that he could understood Heavenly Father and His plan for us.

Repeatedly throughout the lesson he mentioned all of the bad things that happen in this world. He couldn't accept the fact that a God could let all of these bad things happen. We talked about Agency, the purpose of life, the Holy Ghost role in our lives, and a lot about Jesus Christ. Both Sister Davis and I felt the spirit SO strong. We bore simple but powerful testimonies of Jesus Christ and God's love. Towards the end of the lesson you could see Keith completely change. We asked him to read the Book of Mormon. He accepted. We asked him if he would be baptized. He said he doesn't know enough at this point. (which we explained to him that we can help him with that) We asked if we could say a kneeling prayer with him. He said YES! We set up a return appointment and we are seeing him Wednesday.

The Holy Ghost is the real teacher. Sister Davis and I said what Keith needed to hear. All because of the spirit, Keith was able to turn completely around. I love this Gospel. It is so simple and that's what makes it so powerful. I love England and the people here. I cannot believe I hit my year mark Friday. I cannot face that fact. 

Until next week,

Sister Garrett :)

The Church is so true.

Dear Family and Friends,

I do not have much time to email. Right now we are in York and I have only 40 minutes to email. So this will be short but at some point I will explain more about this week and General Conference but here is just a summary of my week:

This week was great! I have learned so much from Sister Hart as well as from General Conference. I really enjoy training because it brings me back to the basics. (I really needed to be reminded.) Sister Hart is a brilliant finder. She is so bold and brave! She is very obedient and willing to work. I feel very blessed to be able to train her. This week we did a lot of finding again. But we did have some lessons as well. 

The first lesson we taught was to a woman named Bata. We have taught her three times in the past. She seems very curious to learn more about our church but I believe that is the extent. We have briefly went over the Restoration in the past but at our lesson we wanted to go over it in more detail. Well I guess that wasn't what we were suppose to teach. The spirit directed to talk more about the Book of Mormon and how to find truth. We tried to schedule her but she said she was already baptized. Next week we will teach about the priesthood along with the Restoration. I am not sure how interested she is to follow Jesus Christ and be baptized but we will ask her next week.

The other lesson we taught was to a woman named Carmin. She is from Romania. She speaks very little English. She knows very selected words but Sister Hart and I were able to communicate with her. It actually was very impressive to be honest. I don't speak Romanian (if you weren't aware) but she understood everything we taught. We invited her to be baptized which put her off a bit. Next week we will teach her the Restoration so that will help with

the questions she has. She seems very golden and prepared. I am excited to continue to teach her
more.

General Conference was amazing! I really felt God's love for us while watching the sessions. It makes complete sense that God would call a prophet to the earth along with Twelve Apostles. The Gospel is so simple and sweet. Jesus Christ loves us and he reaches to us through the Holy Ghost and his servants, the prophets and apostles. I love this Gospel and I am glad I have the chance to declare his word.

Until next week,

Sister Garrett

Finding like champs

Dear Family and Friends,

This week has been very basic. It has been mainly made up of finding. Sister Hart and I did 25 hours of finding this week. We worked really hard but basically right now we are just building up our teaching pool. We had appointments this week but people didn't show up. (That is my mission life right there!) BUT we found more then 10 potentials this past week and have several lessons lined up for this

week so it looks like it will be good! :) We have an appointment with two girls at the church tonight. We have two appointments on Thursday. One with Paul and Bata again. We got in contact with them again and the other lesson with a Romanian family we found while knocking. On Friday we have an appointment with a man named Ryan.

Monday evening Sister Hart and I went to a member's house for Family Home Evening. We have started something new in the ward. Every week the sisters and I select a family to go see and visit them and share a FHE lesson about missionary work. At the end we invite them to pray for missionary opportunities and then have them write down an experience they had within that week in a notebook. Then on Sunday morning they will go up and read their missionary experience to the ward. This notebook is going to be passed within the ward to help the ward become more missionary minded. I am really excited for it to start going! The first family we went to enjoyed our lesson.

This past week though we had the opportunity to teach a less-active named Rosemary. She hasn't been to church for a few years now. She has a problem with smoking and admitted it to us. While we were in the lesson Sister Hart and I scheduled her! Ok not for baptism but to quit smoking. This week we are going to bring a calendar and set daily goals for her to stop smoking by a certain date. The spirit was so strong in the lesson! Sister Hart and I just walked from the lesson smiling.

Finding, practice teaching members, teaching less-actives, and being flogged sums up the week. I wish I had something more exciting to tell you all but sadly I don't. Next week's email will be better! :) Sister Hart and I are going to work harder! Hope you all are doing well and everything is going well! Enjoy your week and make the most of every moment! Love you all!!

Sister Garrett

Sister Woods from Ogden, Utah