Old People Flirting, Grandpa's Teddy Bear, and Seeds

First, as always, little thoughts:

Alaska doesn't have to pay monthly for vanity plates, need I say more?

Right now the wild raspberries are ripe, which makes tracting awesome!

I've only had two moose sightings, the first time was little baby moose on the side of the road, and the second was a momma moose in the middle of the road.

Alaskans love fireweed. Fields of them are really pretty. They also tell us when winter is coming.

We went to a house and there was a stuffed bear cub on the ground. It was a real cub. The man told us he had it stuffed so when his grandkids came over they could play with "Grandpa's Teddy Bear."

I forgot my memory card adapter, so I won't be able to attach pictures this week :(

Okay, now for some stories.

Last week we visited an old lady at an assisted living home. Her name is Noreen. She is 89 and a hoot! We asked her how she was doing, and she told us, "As many as I can, and the easy ones twice!"

She is hilarious. She's full of those little zingers. After talking with her, and teaching her, I said a closing prayer. Once I closed, she said, "Can I add a p.s.?" She then started to pray, and prayed for us to be safe. Then we stood up and I put my hand out to shake her hand, and she started to reach out, and then she jerked her hand back and frowned at me. "You kidding me? Come here," she said and then gave me a hug. It was funny.

Its the Alaskan state fair this week and next, and its in our area. We volunteered this week, helping with the trash cans. We got free tickets to the fair for doing that, and so Elder Nichols and I are going to go to it today with Sabrina. I'm excited to share how it was!

 

The fair emailed this to all of us.

Lately we've been eating dinner at 60 year old couples homes. They all seem to flirt. Its so awkward, its just them two, and us two. They will say stuff like, "I know Heavenly Father sent you to me. I'm not worthy of you." They call each other "Baby", they will say "Wow, you are just so beautiful, how did I get you?" Just weird stuff like that. I really don't know why they do that around us.

Speaking of what others do around us during dinner, I'm surprised at what people do when we are at their homes, and how comfortable they are with it. Parents will yell at their kids, grab them and throw them in their rooms just because the kids were eating with their mouths full. Its really sad, and it makes me feel really uncomfortable. Sometimes kids will put food on the end of their fork and slam their fist down on the other end and the food will go flying. The parents just laugh. Its definitely something I'm not used to. Once a family was watching television while we were eating dinner, and we were sitting with our backs to the television, and the rest of everyone was watching. It was different. Some parents are awesome. Their kids are very well behaved, and you can see that the parents really love them.  Elder Nichols and I will talk about it on our drive to our next appointment, and talk about what we learned by watching the parents. Its very good for me to see, because I'm learning what kind of parent I want to be.

I love my mission. I am learning so much. I'm learning how to be a better man. I'm learning to listen. I'm learning to love. I'm learning to look outward. I'm learning patience. As I learn to work with my companion, I learn very many valuable people skills. I love it.

I learned some cool things during personal study this week, and I would like to share what I've learned about seeds.

In Mosiah 9:9 I read this.

"And we began to till the ground, yea, even with all manner of seeds, with seeds of corn, and of wheat, and ofbarley, and with neas, and with sheum, and with seeds of all manner of fruits; and we did begin to multiply andprosper in the land."

It reminded me of Alma 32. In Alma 32: it says:

And now, behold, is your knowledge perfect? Yea, your knowledge is perfect in that thing, and your faith‍ is dormant;and this because you know, for ye know that the word hath swelled your souls, and ye also know that it hathsprouted up, that your understanding doth begin to be enlightened, and your mind‍ doth begin to expand.

Later on in the chapter, vs. 41 through 43 it says:

41 But if ye will nourish the word, yea, nourish the tree as it beginneth to grow, by your faith with great diligence,and with patience, looking forward to the fruit thereof, it shall take root; and behold it shall be a tree springing up‍ unto everlasting life.

 42 And because of your diligence‍ and your faith and your patience with the word in nourishing it, that it may takeroot in you, behold, by and by ye shall pluck the fruit‍ thereof, which is most precious, which is sweet above all that issweet, and which is white above all that is white, yea, and pure above all that is pure; and ye shall feast upon thisfruit even until ye are filled, that ye hunger not, neither shall ye thirst.

 43 Then, my brethren, ye shall reap‍ the rewards‍ of your faith (Mosiah 9:9), and your diligence, and patience, andlong-suffering, waiting for the tree to bring forth fruit‍ unto you.

I learned that strengthening your conversion is gaining a testimony of many principles. In a healthy meal, you cannot just have carrots all day everyday. You will turn orange. But if you plant seeds in your garden, a healthy meal consists of all different types of fruits and vegetables. Just like a meal, our conversion needs to be strengthened by a testimony of many principles, (seeds). Now, with each principle, as we "give place, that seed‍ maybe planted in [our] heart[s]" (Alma 32:28), and do as Alma teaches, our knowledge will be "perfect in [each]thing" and we will " begin to multiply and prosper in [our conversions]."

I hope I was able to articulate what I learned. I love the scriptures, I wish I had more time to study, its one of my favorite parts of the day. I know the scriptures are true.

I've been trying to follow every single prompting I get, and the more I follow, the more I get. Its hard! Its my goal to get to the point where I will be so close to the Spirit that I follow every single prompting.

Keep reading your scriptures, listening to the Spirit, and smiling!

Ta ta for now!

Elder Tyler James Garver

Willy Wonka Mushrooms and Reindeers

I found this beautiful Willy Wonka mushroom and thought I would try it:

 

It was disgusting! 

I quickly spit it out, but the damage was already done. I've been sick all week, and I've been able to manage, but it keeps getting worse. I've got these weird hive things, and I've got an appointment in Anchorage later today. Hopefully he can help me. I know it was stupid, but I thought I was protected from stuff like that since I'm a missionary!

It's great here in Alaska. Its beautiful. 

First day: After arriving in Anchorage, we drove to the mission office where we had dinner, and about five minutes to email family. After that we went to the mission home, had a testimony meeting that was awesome, and then we went to bed. The next day we found out where we were assigned, and who our companions were with. President Robinson made it a huge thing, and it was pretty fun. There was a map of Alaska on the wall, and with a fishing pole we had to point at where we thought we might be called. The trainers were there, and we went one at a time. One person got up and pointed, then they were told who their companion was, then their companion took the pole with them and pointed where they were actually going. Lots of pictures. Kinda cheesy but still fun!

New missionaries aren't called greenies here, they are called cheechakos. Not quite sure how to spell it. You pronounce it Chee-Cha-Ko. Its a native term for new people or something like that. 

My companion is Elder Nichols, and he is a fun guy. A little queer, but we get a long great. He knows what he is doing. I am serving in Palmer Alaska, in the Pioneer Peak ward. We are white washing the area right now. That means both missionaries were sent to different areas, and we are going in blindly. There are pros and cons to it. Lots of pros, because we get to figure out things together. The missionaries didn't know that they were both leaving, so they didn't leave us very many good notes. I also wish we could sit down with those missionaries before they leave to their next area so that they can explain whats going on. But thats okay, we have the Lord on our side. We are still trying to get our feet on the ground, but slowly and surely we are figuring things out. 

The ward we are in is awesome! Very missionary minded! We are super excited to serve in this ward. People really are awesome here. Best ward yet that I've served in. We get fed every night which is such a blessing. I wasn't served fish until Saturday. There was a tuna casserole. They didn't tell us what it was, but I suspected it was fish. I ate a good serving, and was really proud of myself. I thought, "Hey! I can do this! That tasted a lot like chicken!" Later I found out that it was canned tuna. Darn. Its not going to be that easy. Last night we had an amazing dinner. We went over to the Bigelow family, and we were fed Fish and Chips. It was so delicious. Sister Bigelow HATES fish, but she loves halibut. I told them that my papa is going to be super jealous when he finds out that I had FRESH fish and chips. Yummy :) 

Alaskans are funny people. They are definitely really different. They do things different. Almost every home has at least two dead cars on their yard. Most of the time there are more. One time I counted 16 dead cars on someones property. 

They are very much republican. They also love their guns. I saw a shirt that had a picture of two guns, and it said, "Keep Calm and Carry On". That was a pretty funny joke off of the original saying. 

We have an investigator named Sabrina. She is 26. The first day we were in the area we went and got to know her. She told us that we are the best missionaries ever. She loves that we treat her as a person and not a number. I asked her if we could send her cheerleader scriptures every morning, and she obliged. As always, it was a hit. She sent us this text this morning: 

"I've started sharing your cheer scriptures with my teenage cousin in Minnesota who has been struggling really hard with depression. After I talked to him yesterday about it I told him how praying has helped me and thought the scriptures you have shared with me might help him." 

Awesome!! 

Our second lesson with her went awesome. We focused around the Book of Mormon. She has been reading, and she told us that she can definitely see it being true, except for one part. She had a hard time with Nephi being commanded to kill Laban. I asked her what she thought, and told her that we will study it with her. I told her I didn't know the answer to her question, but as we all studied it together we would figure it out. Elder Nichols suggested reading the footnotes, and we did so. I asked her questions that would lead her to figuring out the answer. It was awesome. We all learned, and we have definitely built her trust. Elder Nichols is kinda quiet during lessons, so he is comfortable with me doing most of the talking. He is a convert as of two years ago, and he is brilliant. He knows so much about the gospel. Its awesome. He is a great trainer for me. 

Yesterday at church, Sabrina came to all three hours. During the second hour, as we were standing with her, she was bragging to one of the members of how great missionaries we are. She told him all about the lesson we had with her involving the Book of Mormon, and really bragged on our behalf. It was great to know that we are doing good. Other people in the ward have told us that we are their favorite missionaries. I was confused as to why we were their favorites, because we hadn't even met them more than twice. I asked Elder Nichols why they tell us that, and what are we doing differently than other missionaries? Especially since we've only been together for about a week? He gave a great answer. He said, "I've found that the best companionships and missionaries are those that feel the spirit together, and take that spirit with them." 

Elder Nichols is really fun. He has been carrying around Shirt Stays/Garters for about half his mission waiting to be a trainer so he could give it to his trainee. I've been wearing them, they take a lot of getting used to, and I haven't got quite there yet. But they do keep the shirt tucked in. 

We live right next to the famous reindeer farm. Everyone in Alaska knows about it.The owners are LDS. We get such a great opportunity to volunteer there more than twice a week. We get to train the reindeer. Its super cool. The son of the farm owners is a hoot. He is ten and he is definitely our best friend. The first day we were there, a pretty bad accident happened right by the farm. A horse drawn carriage got flipped, and two people were badly injured. Every one was running over to help, and the ten year old boy, Camden, started to walk over there to see. I quickly ran up to him and talked to him. I asked him if he was okay with blood. I didn't want him to be scarred, scared, and sick. He said he's seen it in the movies, but he hasn't seen it in real life. He looked nervous. I walked him back to Elder Nichols, and we talked about it a little bit. I comforted him telling him that everything will be all right. There were already ambulances there, and there was a life flight on the way. I told him how great it is that we have people who are doctors, and paramedics. I suggested we say a prayer. He quickly agreed. We folded our arms and I said the prayer. After the prayer, to distract him, we had him give us a tour of the farm. We made sure to take care of him during the commotion. I gave him my camera, and he took pictures of me and Elder Nichols feeding the reindeer. He also took a selfie haha :) 

 

The reindeer farm also has elk. So we spent one morning trying to herd two young bulls from the rest of the elk. 

The reindeer have velvet on their antlers, and right before mating season their velvet falls off so that they can fight. This reindeer is losing its felt.

 

 

I recently got introduced into Mormon Messages, and I would encourage all of you to watch a couple each day. 

I also forgot to say that at the MTC our district came up with the idea to walk around and talk in gibberish. Everyone is learning a new language, and they all say hello to other missionaries in their language. So we started saying hello to them in our own language. It was a lot of fun. 

Another story I forgot to tell that happened in the MTC was Elder Timmons outburst in the middle of the night. While we were sleeping, all of a sudden he screamed in his sleep, "SHE'S REPULSIVE!" All of us woke up and said in unison, "What?" 

It was hilarious. Apparently he had a dream that there was an extremely ugly girl going around telling people that he was stalking her, and he had enough of it. He walked up to someone and said, "Listen up! She's utterly repulsive!" 

 

Alaska is beautiful. I have so much to email about, and of course I don't have enough time.

-- Elder Garver

 

Oh and by the way, the whole mushroom thing was a joke. I didn't take a bite out of it, and I'm as healthy as a horse. :)