Earthquake. Best Companionship Ever.

I had my first earthquake this week! It was awesome! We had a 6.2 earthquake that lasted a minute. It was awesome. Nothing happened other than some rocking around. I loved it. My first thought once it was over was, "Again again!"

Elder Nichols and I were definitely friends in the pre-existence. Dang we get along. It's crazy how well we get along. I have been extremely blessed to be with this companion. We are very different in lots of ways, but we get along like two peas in a pod.

Don't get me wrong, it took awhile to get to the point we are at, but that is how all relationships are. We did a lot of talking, a lot of compromising, and a lot of problem solving. We have definitely gone through all the stages of a companionship:

 

  Conforming, Storming, Reforming, Performing.

           First we conformed to each other, and really didn't address things that annoyed us. That is called Conforming.

            

           Then came Storming. We didn't actually storm, or blow up on each other, but we both got very passive aggressive toward each other, and really had a hard time for a couple days.

      

           Next, Reforming. We sat down, had companionship inventory*, and talked things out. We had to have a couple occasions until we got on the same ground.

 

           Lastly, Performing. We are like the Sons of Mosiah. I would like to share a story that illustrates this point:

 

I mentioned last week about Grayson Kuntz. Tuesday, we had a lesson with Grayson on his front porch. His grandfather was not home, so we held our lesson on his front porch in porch chairs. It went great. We taught the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He had many questions -which is super good- and we were able to answer them all. At one point of the lesson a huge bee came and landed on his cheek. I had to jump up and swat it off of his face. It was a close call! And that was during a very spiritual part of the lesson. Not quite sure why that came and interrupted.  He accepted the invitation to give the closing prayer. His prayer was so sincere. In his prayer he mentioned his grandmother who had passed away. He really misses her, but knows she is in a better place. After the prayer, I said to him, "You wanna know something cool?" He nodded. "Well, my grandfather passed away, and I really miss him. But I know he is with me. You know those feelings that you feel on your cheek? Their kind of tingly? That's the Spirit telling me that my grandfather is with me. Cool huh?"

His reply was, "I felt that! I felt that while you were talking! I was feeling it right before that bee came."

That was awesome. We were able to help him identify the Spirit :)

 

We were able to set up a lesson for last Friday. This lesson his grandfather was there. It didn't quite go the way that we expected it to go.

As we sat down and were getting ready to begin the lesson, his grandfather Bob had a couple things to say. He asked us about the Word of Wisdom, Plural Marriage, Temple Sealings, and things like that. He was full of a lot of incorrect information. I don't know church history as well as Elder Nichols does, and he was able to address some of the concerns Bob had. That doesn't mean that Bob accepted them, but he was able to address them. Elder Nichols was amazing in that situation. It could've easily turned into a scripture bash. In my former companionships I have seen that happen. But Elder Nichols was really able to use the Doctrine and Covenants as a teaching tool rather than a weapon of belittlement. It was awesome. During this time, Bob's cleaning lady had come in, and was very comfortable with voicing her own opinion in every little thing. After Elder Nichols taught about the Word of Wisdom, Bob said that there was no way that people were going to go to hell for drinking alcohol. Elder Nichols in no way had implied that drinking alcohol was going to condemn someone to hell. Then the cleaning lady, Jenny, made some very blunt statements.

 

We found ourselves in a very sensitive situation, and our reaction to the attacks to our belief was critical.

 

Our unity was very vital. We both were able to build off one of another as we taught, testified, and most importantly, listened.

When we taught a principle, we let Bob and Jenny express their opinions on the matter, and we listened intently and lovingly as they countered our teachings. Sadly, Grayson was here to listen to his grandfather and cleaning lady justify our teachings.

 

They kept bringing up different things, and we continued to listen. They would often say that they have been told by Mormons that they are going to hell for such and such, and they've been told that Mormons do such and such.

 

I eventually ended up saying something like, "We love these questions. Yes, there are many people of our faith that say or do things that aren't consistent with our teachings. We have been called as representatives of this church to teach what our church actually believes, teaches, and lives. I hope that you recognize, as with all churches, that there are people that do not live uniform to the teachings of the church, and teach things that are contrary to what we believe. As missionaries, we represent the church, and teach the truth. Our purpose is to invite others to come unto Christ. We believe that we are able to grow closer to Christ through faith in him, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end. We want you to know that it is not our goal to force this onto people. We have seen these things improve our lives, we have seen the difference it makes. We want to share that. We aren't here to judge you, we aren't here to tell you that you are going to hell. We are here to share with you what we know. We are here to help you. Please know that we want to share this message, but respect you and your feelings. We are happy to come over and teach and share with you what we know, and we will stop coming if that is your request. Thank you so much for asking these questions, and I hope that you know that we are happy to come over and answer any questions that you have."

 

It seemed like this visit wasn't doing any good. It seemed detrimental to our opportunity with Grayson. But it did do good. Immense good. Shortly after that, Jenny took Grayson into the back room and continued to try and convince him that we are bad. During this, Bob said something that was extremely comforting to both Elder Nichols and I.

"I respect you two. There is one thing that I have not heard come out of your mouths. Not one point during this discussion have you said anything negative about any other church. You have only spoken good of them. I have had some of your "representatives" over here before, and I have asked them to leave. I am very impressed with both of you, and you are welcome into my home anytime."

 

After setting up a return appointment, we left and got into the car. As we were driving away, I told Elder Nichols,

"Right now I feel like a successful missionary."

 

 I love you all! I hope all is well! Send me some mail if you have a chance! It means a lot more than you think it does!

Elder Tyler James Garver

 

              

*everyone, especially husbands and wives should look up chapter 10 in Preach My Gospel and read bullet number 13 on page 150 which is Conducting Companionship Inventory. It's awesome. The whole weekly planning thing is awesome, I'm going to figure out a way to make one for regular life.

New Investigator

We went and visited Bob Huntsman again this week, and we did some service for him. We moved a rotting moose hide for him. Where did he get the moose? It was road kill.

Bob is a very interesting fellow. There are buckets everywhere in his yard that he has filled with water and animal skulls. The water is green. It smells horrible. The best way that I can describe his place is "Death".

We helped take down a buffalo fence for a less active. The entire zone came (over 20 missionaries) and worked for 4 hours. We still didn't get it done. The elders quorum and high priest group went over the  next Saturday, and about half our zone went over and helped out again. The fence was stapled into wooden posts, and wired to steel poles. It was hard work, but I loved it. Except for all of the buffalo pies all over the ground.

I got some letters from my family this week, and it was one of the best moments of the week. Ah man I loved it.

I forgot to include in my last email that the McDonalds dollar menu is not a dollar. Everything is 2 dollars. Also there is no such thing as a 5 dollar foot long Subway sandwich. They are 6 dollars. Food is expensive to be sent up here.

I've been praying to enjoy my mission rather than endure it. Don't get me wrong, I've always enjoyed my mission, but in the back of my mind I have always missed home. Kind of like Lots wife. I've been looking back. My prayers have been answered! I've really been working hard, and now I love my mission! I'm enjoying every moment!

We've really been trying to find some investigators but have had a hard time. There was a festival in our area called the Fall Festival. We went there when there were about 15 minutes left in the night. We were sitting down and eating dinner (A member signed up for dinner to feed us, and told us to go to the festival for food) when a teenage boy sat down next to us. At the same time, a guy walked up on the other side of us and started talking to us. I turned to the teenage boy and talked with him, while Elder Nichols talked with the other fellow. The other fellow was just talking about his mission, and how good we have got it, how hard his was, blah blah blah. I found out that the boy was not a member. His name is Grayson. I got to know him, and then asked him about church. By this time there were youth in our ward that had sat down with us. Grayson is friends with these youth. I asked what churches he has attended, and what he likes about them. I asked if he had ever gone to our church. His answer was no, but I invited him to come. I told him it was a great church. I turned to the youth and asked them to explain to him what happens in our church, and the bishops daughter said to him in a matter of fact manner, "My church is awesome because I know it's true." Right after she said that, Grayson was not interested anymore. In my mind I was screaming "Noo!!! Why did you have to say that?? Just tell him how fun it is and how you would enjoy it if he came!" Ugh. I turned to Grayson and rolled my eyes. He smiled and knew that I understood what a weird thing it was for her to say that. I put religion aside for the moment, and asked him what he liked to do. The youth started talking about the craziest things around him. They were telling me that I can find Grayson's uncle in the "records" and that I should know because he stopped coming to church. They were saying some things that I didn't want him to hear! I didn't want him to be scared off! Well... interestingly enough, he didn't seem to hear anything they were saying. Elder Nichols and I have come to the conclusion that angels were covering his ears and giving him selective hearing. He gave us his address and we set up an appointment for Sunday at three.

We visited his home yesterday at three, and he was not home. His grandfather was there and invited us in. His grandfather let us know that Grayson had to go somewhere to help a friend out, and he was anxious that he was going to miss the appointment. He didn't have our number and he felt bad that he wouldn't be there. We sat and talked with his grandfather Bob for about a half hour, and Bob told us all about Grayson. Man Grayson is a good kid. His grandfather basically raises him. Grayson was talking to Bob about how he was curious what the Mormons believed, and that he wanted to know. He was thinking about being a "Mormon". Bob told  him that he would back him up all the way, whether he chose to become one or not. Bob is not a member either. I see a lot of good coming soon. We left a Book of Mormon and Bob was really appreciative. I'm super excited to visit Grayson. We have an appointment this Tuesday at 3. Super exciting!!

We ate dinner at a home full of kids, and they have a tradition that all the missionaries have to go through "The Tunnel" before they can eat. Here are some pictures. It was a tight squeeze.

This is Elder Nichols, He was sitting like this for awhile trying to figure out how to make it out. It was hilarious.

It wasn't as hard for me :)

Proud of all you reading your scriptures! Keep it up! Get ready for General Conference! It's coming!

love,

Elder Tyler James Garver

Short Letter This Week

Sorry all, I'm just not in the mood to write much today.

But...

Some fun little things:

Cabbage, rhubarb, and carrots grow like crazy here. So we eat a lot of coleslaw, rhubarb desserts, and carrots.

Church is super fun, except for....

When people start to speculate and teach false doctrine in classes where our investigators are in.

When the Elders Quorum lesson is on Marriage.

I've learned some cool little things about the symbolism of the Sacrament.

In 3 Nephi 11 , Jesus says,

"And behold, I am the light and the life of the world; and I have drunk out of that bitter cup which the Father hathgiven me, and have glorified the Father in taking upon me the sins of the world, in the which I have suffered the willof the Father in all things from the beginning."

Drinking out of the sacrament cup not only reminds us of the blood he spilt, but the cup reminds us of the bitter cup he drank.

When we partake of the sacrament, we consume the bread and the water, and it goes inside of our bodies. The water and bread become a part of us.

When we eat the bread, and drink the water, there is symbolism that we are allowing Jesus to become a part of us.

 

I may be wrong on those symbols, but I thought it was interesting and cool.

We had exchanges last week, and the night when we got back together, Elder Nichols was in a super bad mood. Man he was in a bad mood. I asked him what was wrong, and he said, "Sorry, I'm just tired. I got NO SLEEP last night. I don't know how Elder Dahls companion does it. The snoring is ruthless."

Last week we ate a lot of Salmon and some moose burgers. The moose burgers were delicious. I'm still not a big fan of fish. But I will eat it. I had an amazing discovery this past week: Lemon juice. Thanks to lemon juice, I can eat Salmon like nobody's business.

The other night, as I was writing some things down, I looked into the kitchen and I saw this:

Good old Elder Nichols :)

We had the hardest time putting all our cameras on a timer and then running back and organizing ourselves:

We see moose all the time:

This transfers planner cover:

Alaska is beautiful.

What Alaska Truly Is, I'm a Fool, and Wooden Indian!

When I first read my call and saw that I was assigned to Alaska, I was expecting something completely different than what Alaska truly is. I was picturing Igloos, Polar Bears, Penguins, Walrus's, Ice Bergs, and a huge frozen wasteland. I really wasn't thinking it as a civilized place.

First of all,

Alaska is not a frozen wasteland. Where missionaries serve anyway. I was thinking Alaska was like Antarctica. Well... I thought Alaska was a frozen wasteland, so I really have nothing to back up my reasoning that Antarctica is a frozen wasteland. Where I am living, Palmer, it is quite beautiful. Trees are everywhere, it reminds me of Oregon, but most roads are dirt roads. The main roads are asphalt, but other than that it's gravel/dirt roads. Everything is very beautiful. Lots of trees, lots of mountains, rivers, and beautiful scenes.

Light:

For my first month out here it was light all the time. When I got up it was light, when I went to bed it was light. By about 12 I think, it was dark. But by 10 pm, the light was the same light it would be at around maybe 5pm in Utah. We are quickly losing light here, and right now it is normal light hours. Soon it will be dark longer. As far as I know, in Palmer it doesn't go completely dark all day everyday in the Winter. We get about 3 hours of sunlight. On the otherhand, different places in Alaska actually do have completely dark days.

Concerning the light:

I've heard that Winter can be extremely depressing. Its dark and cold. Many missionaries cope with the lack of light through music. They write songs, and sometimes poetry. There are some really talented missionaries. In the past, the mission president and his wife would record the music by missionaries and compile it into a cd. There would be monthly albums. They would burn those albums onto cds and send them out to all missionaries. We refer to these albums as AAM (Anchorage Alaska Mission) cds. Most of the music is quite amateur, but if you spend some time weeding through the albums, you can find some amazing music. Unfortunately our mission president has not continued the tradition for now. Hopefully President Robinson will pick it up again. Even though they don't record the songs now, the missionaries still make music. Its really fun.

Bears:

I have not seen a bear yet. Bears usually keep to themselves I think, and missionaries really don't need to worry about them most of the time. Most of the time. I don't know much about areas other than mine, but in Palmer there is no need to worry about bears. I've heard that when you shoot a bear, you want to shoot them during the fall, when they are "Sweet bears." They become sweet bears when they are on a berry diet. They smell good, and taste good. During the running of the salmon, apparently you don't want to hunt a bear. They smell nasty, and don't taste quite as good, because they eat fish.

Moose:

I see moose all the time. I have not seen a bull moose, but I often see cow moose and their calves. Right now is moose hunting season, so I'm looking forward to having some fresh moose once the season is over. They are only allowed to shoot certain types of moose, so they usually go on hunting trips.

Alaska is huge, and from what I hear it is totally different in different areas.  

Right now we live in a pretty civilized city, and we live about an hour away from Anchorage. In Alaska, people refer to something called "The Bush." From what I gather, the Bush refers to areas that are not very big, that are not connected to any main roads. I think you have to fly out to them. Places in the bush where missionaries serve are Healy, Kotzebue, Barrow (Which I will talk about in a bit), Nome, Delta Junction, Eagle (I think there a missionaries), Whitehorse Canada, Bethel, Kodiak, Ketchikan, and others. Basically if you don't serve near Fairbanks or Anchorage, you serve in areas of the Bush which are more isolated.

Barrow:

Apparently Barrow is one of the coldest areas to serve. They only serve missionaries during the Winter, because during summertime everything is just muddy and dirty. I've heard that Barrow is one of the most depressing areas to serve. But there are Natives there. Stuff like Whaling happens there I think. I've heard that two white missionaries cannot serve there together. There has to be a darker skinned missionary that serves there with a white missionary. The natives do not like white people. So they usually send Samoans, Tongans, and so forth up there with a white missionary. The Islanders protect the skinny white boys :)

Food:

Where I am, food is normal. Most of the time ground meat isn't ground beef, it is ground caribou or moose. You can't really taste the difference. I've had halibut twice, first Fish and Chips (Amazing!), and then halibut fish tacos (also tasty). Halibut doesn't really have a fishy taste. Its quite good. I've only had straight fish once, and it was red salmon. I've heard that red salmon is the most fishiest of all the fish, and it wasn't fishy at all. It wasn't amazing, nor was it disgusting. Its not very filling, and doesn't have much taste. Well this one didn't. I could eat it, but its not my first choice.

Winter:

I'm not excited for Winter. No, its not a wasteland, but it will be cold. You have to plug your cars in so they won't die. I really am not excited. I'll have to fill you all in when it comes. I don't even want to think about it right now. Elder Nichols told me to refrain from bundling up as long as I can, because it will help my blood thicken and I won't be as cold. Not sure how much of a difference that will make, but I guess I will try it.

I'm a fool:

That wasn't gold. It was fools gold. I am definitely a fool. But that's okay, its a funny story. Our bishop gold pans, and he has offered to take us. Then I can get some real gold.

We have been painting the barn at the reindeer farm, and we are almost done. Last time we were there, some of the neighbors pigs got out and we had to chase them down. It was so much fun. There were two, and I got the first one, and Elder Nichols got the second one. They were little pigs, so they were fast. Boy did they squeal when you finally got a hold of them.

Everyone by now should know how much of a Seinfeld fan I am, and if anyone knows Seinfeld pretty well, they will appreciate this picture:

Alaska's mail system is a little different, because I haven't received any letters from any of you yet. Its weird. I know that you all have been really religious at sending me letters, and they will show up sometime ;) If anyone forgot my address, it is:

Elder Tyler James Garver

Alaska Anchorage Mission

3250 Strawberry Road

Anchorage AK 99502

I love you all! Keep reading your scriptures!

Elder Tyler James Garver

Picture Time

The fair was pretty fun! The only problem was that it depressed me. It was so worldly :(

Not much in a story telling mode today, so I am just going to send pictures with captions.

This was at the fair, our investigator bought us a "Denali Cream Puff"

That was just one.

This is a picture of Eagle Mountain which is basically my front yard. If I look out my window in the apartment, this is what I see.

The lighting on the mountain was just beautiful, so I had to take a picture with it.

These are potatoes. My favorite.

This is my famous Spud sandwich.

I do not like this painting. Its really weird.

 Here are some pictures I took of our hike. These are pictures of me turning around and taking snaps of what we had already hiked.

 Nobody took me seriously. Everybody thought I was just imagining things. They thought that what I did find was iron pyrite. After doing some research, and asking locals, I was right! I found gold!

 I took this gold seriously. I filled up my whole side pocket with the gravel that was full of gold flakes. I am currently sifting through all of that during lunch times.

 Hatchers Pass is such a cool place. You can go berry picking, hiking of course, gold panning, picture taking, just awesome place. Many different places to hike in Hatchers Pass. This week we decided to hike to Reed Lakes.

 Such a good looking fellow, and so many good looking back drops for him... man. Alaska and Elder Garver are just meant to be.

The younger one is our investigator, smiling with some random lady she knew.