Phone Call - Monday September 6, 2021

Good Monday morning! When Elder Garcia called today I was up to the cabin in Oakley celebrating Labor Day with the Miller family and the Stephens family. We stayed up super late so when I heard my phone vibrating I was a little caught off guard what it was. :/

When I saw it was Elder Garcia I was thrilled. I wasn't sure that I would get a call after the second email I sent him this last week. But perhaps if I just put it behind me and let him decide what he is going to do that will be best from now on. I won't ask about anything more moving forward unless it has to do with just the mission. 

 Anyways, Elder Garcia is missing his older sister today. He said it was little things and then had a dream last night about his first day of high school. He was riding along with Sister Garcia and she was jamming out to Beyonce singing at the top of her lungs. He was grateful for the dream and for the memory because it helped soothe his heart some. 

Elder Garcia gave the following updates: things with his companion are still tricky but he has made it a point to say thank you to him every single day for something specific, he went on exchanges and learned a lot from the Elder he was paired with - specifically how to better use the pamplets for the lessons that the church uses down there in Africa, he has a couple of baptisms lined up on the 17th, the interview with his Mission President and his wife went well and the language is coming along but still he has no clue what is going on or how to carry a conversation. He mentioned that there is a General Authority set to visit and so he will be traveling to Lome again to be able to be a part of that meeting. 

Elder Garcia asked about Brooklyn and how she is doing and how school is going. He asked that I would pass on a thank you to those who are wishing him well and praying for him, specifically the Payne family here in our ward. He also said that he was finally able to get his own sim card for the phone but that Elder Obeya is still in charge of usage and is very controlling still so he will do his best to keep photos coming and show us what he is up to. 

Other than that, Elder Garcia was pretty quiet about most things. I asked about his friends and he shared some small updates but nothing more as far as reporting or journaling purposes are concerned. He had a small amount of time left after we talked so I encouraged him to reach out to his Dad to at least say hello and let him know how he is doing. I reminded him that I would keep him and his companion in our prayers as well as those he is working with and those he has yet to find. And then it was time for our call to end. 

My hope is that as he sees the successes of the missionaries before him playing out in form of a baptism, that the mission will become his #1 priority and that the things here at home and the people here are home become very 3rd or 4th in importance. For now, we will continue to take it week by week. 

I love you dude and am proud you are in Africa and making the most of all of it,

Mom

Early morning in Utah

Tyler jumped on (sorta) as he stayed in bed with his eyes closed