Christian in Africa

From: Mom To: Christian.garcia@missionary.org Date: Sunday, April 30, 2023 Subject: Sunday. And sunshine yay! Hi! Happy Sunday. How are you? How was this week? What kind of work did you guys do and how did those efforts work out? Were you able to find some new amis to add to your roster to work with? How are things ticking with the Elders in your apartment? This week has been good around here. We have been busy enjoying the sunshine FINALLY!!! We even spent some time in the pool yesterday. Poor B got so fried and had to do the burn to brown treatment last night but she is excited about going out again today to even out what she got yesterday. She never flipped over so just the front side of her body got sunshine. :) Tyler and I have been working hard in the yard. We ripped out some dead trees and plants in the backyard and replaced those with new stuff. We also made some changes in the front yard and ripped out the strip on the driveway and replaced it with some new stu...

Agla rainy  

Exchange with Elder Mbadu  

No phone call today but we did get a chance to message a little bit. Transfer news is in and Elder Garcia is staying where he is for his final six (6) weeks but he is getting a new companion. His new companion is Elder Okyere and he is from Ghana. Elder Garcia doesn't know too much about him but believe he has been out on the mission for about a year.  Elder Garcia said that they had a meeting this morning with President Proudfoot about the dynamics in the apartment as well as the frustration of the current companionship with Elder Coulibaly. The Zone Leaders did an exchange with him this last week and they saw some of the same behaviors so they met with President Proudfoot and that started the whole thing today. Elder Garcia was able to meet one on one with him and share his feelings. It isn't that he is a bad missionary, he just needs to break habits and be shown what a real mission is spent doing.  Elder Garcia also mentioned that the Assistants are moving to his apartment ...

"This is an African picture" - Elder Johnson (Canada)   Ahh...Dassa <3

Somehow he is 20. 20 years old today. How did this happen? WHEN did this happen? These are the photos I chose to post on the Facebook today to celebrate and as I look at them I can't help but ask how in the world did I get so dang lucky to get to be this kids Mom? :)  Birthdays hit different for me as my kids get older and with Christian being out in the  mission field today on what is his Golden birthday, it hits a little harder than I want to admit. Today would have been a big celebration but instead it is a day to reflect on the happy and good that these last 20 years have held because he is in it. I hope today he finds some of his most favorite African food plates and gets to enjoy them in good company. I also hope that he can feel our love and appreciation for what it is he brings to our family.  Happy Birthday to YOU Christian. I love you for forever and for always, Mom

The District  

Never the highest quality but hey! It was a face to face call today so I will take it! Monday...yay! And a Monday where an actual phone call face to face was able to happen. I can't think of anything better. Especially as things come to an end for this Elder of mine and his time that is being spent in Africa.  Elder Garcia is in good spirits but is also dealing with some frustration with his current companion. Not that his companion is a horrible person or not a great missionary but he just lacks the drive to actually do missionary work. He has really made these last 5 weeks difficult for Elder Garcia and being able to talk to him was good and I hope that as we talked that we were able to find new ways to approach this final week as they head into transfers knowing that this companionship may also stick around to close out a mission for him as well.  This companion of his, Elder Coulibaly, has gotten very complacent and is very lazy. He will make appointments for rendezvous to...

From: Mom To: Christian.garcia@missionary.org Date: Sunday, April 16, 2023 Subject: Kansas City Happy Sunday from Kansas City Missouri!! How are you? How was your week? Tyler and I flew to Missouri to watch the Braves play the Royals. Friday’s game was so nice and warm with temperatures in the 80’s. Last night was FREEZING cold and it appears today is going to be the same. Tyler ended up paying like $50 for a royals fleece blanket and upgraded our seats to make it so we could sit inside and not out in the rain and wind. The Braves have owned the Royals and it has been a good series to watch. I am ready to head home though where surprisingly enough it is warmer! Ha ha. Who would have thought?! We took yesterday morning to go and tour Liberty Jail and then over to Independence as well. Liberty Jail was eye opening and humbling. The first temple site dedicated in Independence was too. This is where Christ will rule from and even though the spot that is owned by the church i...

Dassa Font!!!!  

Oranges  

Elders Dikoume, Dial, Cutler  

Banana Split Elders Dikoume, Dial, Cutler

Joyeux Paques  

 

 

Yay for actual face to face calls that come in from Africa! Some days I wish he was back in the small remote villages because I feel like those weeks were almost a little easier to connect a call. Maybe I just think (in my own brain of course) that being in the city the cell towers that are there have to be inundated with lots of use as there are many that are at work and in businesses. Maybe that is why it is hard for a call to connect? That is my theory anyways. :)  Elder Garcia seems well and happy. We didn't have a ton of time to catch up, but any small window that I get I will totally cherish and love. I seriously am just still so happy that a weekly call is allowed and that Elder Garcia will call when he can. Some highlights from this week: - There are only eight (8) Monday phone calls home left!!! This being said, Tyler jumped in on the call to offer some words of advice. He reminded Elder Garcia that 'digital film' is cheap. Being able to take a picture and load it ...

From: Christian.garcia@missionary.org Date: Monday, April 3, 2023 Subject: The Conferences Bonjour bonjour!!! Apparently I really like sending emails out every 2 weeks, sorry about that haha. But hey! That just means theres going to be a lot of stuff rght??? We can hope, I'm definately going to have to bring out my thinking and remembering cap to write about these past few weeks haha.  Okay so like 2 weeks ago we had Zone Conference and taht was pretty awesome. It is always a good time to get together and to talk with all of the other missionaries in the Zone. The lessons were really focused on how it is that we can continue to do what it is that we are called and set apart to do as a missionary. It was really good and really encouragin or me to be apart of it because, sadly, time is going by wayyyyy too quickly and I'm not a big fan of it. For the rest of the week my companion and I had to take it a little bit slower. He had to get soe teeth pulled out so we were ...

From: Mom To: Christian.garcia@missionary.org Date: Sunday, April 2, 2023 Subject: It's April? Happy Sunday! Can you believe it is already April? I am still trying to figure out where March went and how we are already into the second quarter of the year. :/ How was your week? How is your companion doing with the dental work he had done these last couple of weeks? How is the missionary work going? How are you feeling with all of what you have around you and all you have going on with 'work' right now? This week was good here. We were up to the cabin until Wednesday for Spring Break. There is so much snow though that Spring sure doesn't feel like it will ever actually show up. When we unloaded the snowmobiles, we had to drive through a snow slot canyon to get up on the groomed trail to head up towards Smith and Morehouse Reservoir. The kids had the best time and the day was beautiful with a blue sky. The kids even took off layers because it was just warm enough. I kept al...