Phone Call Home: Monday, September 5, 2022

It's Labor Day here at home! And we still have semi decent weather enough that when Elder Garcia called today I was out on the deck enjoying the quiet of the morning. There was no school today and Brooklyn was still sound asleep while Kaitlyn was off at Deer Creek boating with some friends. Tyler was slowly moving inside so I enjoyed the time I got with Elder Garcia this week.

Some things this week that Elder Garcia talked about:

- They met a new ami this week. She lost her husband this last year and has 6 kids! Elder Garcia and his companion are super excited about working with her and hoping she will embrace the Gospel. I asked Elder Garcia if having experienced the death of a loved one helps them to want the Gospel in their lives because of the promises of eternal life and being reunited with your loved ones after death. He said he didn't think it did because it has to be a mindset of whoever it is they are working with. I will definitely keep this woman and her children in my prayers because the peace that her heart must need with missing her husband has to be a heavy burden.

- Elder Garcia participated in Zone Conference this last week and he loved the Sister Training Leaders. He said he learned a lot and it is the he had from them during his entire mission

- Also at Zone Conference, President and Sister Proudfoot talked about prayer and gave the invitations to all the missionaries in attendance a challenge to pray like Enos. (Now I need to go read Enos again and re-discover what that looks like)

- Elder Garcia learned that planning ahead with teaching lessons to their amis. To go into them with a plan rather than just going by the seat of your pants

- The Zone Leaders had a plan to show how a coordination meeting should go and wanted the help from the District Leaders. Elder Garcia said it did not go how it was planned and spiraled out of control to the point that President and Sister Proudfoot kindly interrupted and helped with how that coordination should take place. Elder Garcia said it was awkward and uncomfortable but I tried to help remind him that he should take it as a lesson learned and remember to also plan ahead for these kind of meetings too.

- There is a multi Zone Conference coming up and Elder Garcia is writing a talk about 'building your boat and then staying the course'. He says it will be much like the General Conference talk of Building Your Spiritual Foundation from President Nelson. He asked if I could get with Tyler and help him with the actual names and functions of a boat so he could reference those in his talk. I can't wait to hear how this goes for him. 

This was a good catch up this week with Elder Garcia and I loved listening to him talk. He did have one cool experience as well that I want to account for. He was out in sector riding when he pedaled by a gentleman that he said looked familiar. He said that as he drove by the gentleman said his old companions name so Elder Garcia stopped his bicycle and turned around. The gentleman was smiling and said "Garcia!". It was Fr Patience who he met in Kpalime and then all of a sudden he was lost and unaccounted for. Well, he moved and now he lives like 5 minutes away from the church in Sanguera! Elder Garcia was so happy when he was sharing this with me. I loved seeing his smile.

Looking forward to next week. Can't believe how quickly time is going. I love you for forever.

Mom