7:45 AM

[Tyler had transfers last week and is not transferring out, but staying in the same area. He says in February he will be there six months, this is only his second area since arriving in Georgia.]

I think I'm ready to leave. Same companion. President King said that President Monson asked him to keep missionaries in an area for 6 to 9 months for investigators (I think investigators, I'm sure)
It warmed up but I heard it's supposed to snow again tonight or tomorrow.

[I asked if he's ready to see more of Georgia?]

Yeah, it would be nice to see other places. I feel like there's nothing else for me to do here.
That's cool that Daniels becoming an Elder. Wait, so stake conference was yesterday?
How's Ronnie doing? Does he come to church?
I'm probably going to get off just before 11 again. The zone leaders are inspecting our appartment and we're going to the stake center again.

[I asked if they were going to go play basketball again? At least that is one way to get warmed up!]

Most likely, we don't go to the stake center for anything else, besides district meeting, stake conference or general conference. I'm not much of a basketball fan, I'd rather play volleyball. The weather's pretty nice today.

-Elder Garcia

[Check out Tyler's profile on mormon.org . . . search Tyler Garcia.

One thing I've thought about this week is that, we've been asked to ask members to make their own mormon.org profile and to share it with their friends or co-workers, and it didn't hit me till recently that I've made my profile and I haven't shared it with friends. I was thinking if you could share it with the family and if Daniel can show some friends, and maybe "ya'll" both can share it with co-workers.


Mormon.org is a great missionary tool to share with friends, family and co-workers, I heard there's already two baptisms here from someone going on mormon.org. I think it would be cool if all of you can make one. You never know...someone could stumble upon your profile and read your testimony and gain an interest in the gospel.


"...and he inviteth them all to come unto him and partake of his goodness..." 2 Nephi 26:33


Moroni 7:13


"is inspired of God."


Moroni 7:16


"...for every thing which inviteth to do good, and to persuade to believe in Christ, is sent forth by the power and gift of Christ; wherefore ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of God."

-Elder Garcia

The Spirit:

Mine's almost like Temy's, about feeling the spirit. There's a page in Preach My Gospel that talks about the different ways people feel the spirit, I can't remember the page but it's under "Recognizing the Spirit" or something like that. As I looked through it the scripture that would probably best describe how I feel the spirit is found in D&C 8:2,3 (I think 2-3).


I've gone so many times when this thought was just stuck in my head and couldn't get it out and when I don't do it then I regret it because I didn't want to listen. But when I do listen it's amazing how well things fall into place. I've told a story about (looking in) the area book and (finding) two former investigators. (I think I'm going to title my blog stories) And about healing. The story I gave last week about "The Tender Mercies of the Lord". Before Christmas I felt impressed, at the last minute, to write home for everyone at Christmas Eve. I don't know if it's done anything, but I'm learning to better listen to the spirit. Yesterday I listened to "Celestial Marriage" by Elder Russell M. Nelson (2008) I think. This past week this talk has been bothering me so I finally gave in and listened to it yesterday. I don't know if I'll use it but one thing I learned at a zone conference was that Heavenly Father gives us these small impressions at the beginning, and if we listen He'll trust us and give us more and we'll be able to know more fully when the spirit is speaking to us. I'm working on this because I know how important it is to have the spirit in the mission field. There's a scripture, D&C 42:14 "And ye shall receive the Spirit by the prayer of faith, and if ye receive not the Spirit, ye shall not teach." I think this can apply to finding (investigators), and those impressions that Heavenly Father gives us.


-Elder Garcia

8:14 AM
Yesterday was my 7 month mark and we had a baptism. (It's the husband of the part member family that we spent the morning with on Christmas). Last week I had Elder Bednar's talk stuck in my head "The Tender Mercies of the Lord." (2005) It's my favorite talk by Elder Bednar and I studied it a couple months ago. But last week that talk had bothered me since the week before. So I listened to it again and I read part of it. Sometime last week the husband told us a story that happened the day before. It was a pretty awesome story about how God's Hand was in it. I remembered Elder Bednar's talk and in it is 1 Nephi 1:20 "But behold, I, Nephi, will show unto you that the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance." I knew that the spirit wanted me to share that with him and I know that he knows that too.


I hope you have a Happy New Year too.


-Elder Garcia

Where's the bookstore over here? Is it by the Temple? I wish we could go when we have our temple trips. Oh, the service project's on the web now. The group picture might be a little small, I'm not sure, but I'm in the bright yellow in the back more to the left. And if you see a guy in orange that's Don, he's one of our investigators and he brought his son Matthew, he's on Don's right. Also can I get my priesthood line of authority? We've talked about the priesthood in Gospel essentials two Sundays ago and the teacher talked about the priesthood line of authority. As I thought about it it almost seems like a second patriartical blessing haha.
Yeah I got a tie, and a planner that he (Temy) made. Well he put a couple pictures on it (the planner).
Kaleen says that Scott has a picture with Bishop Bytheway also. From installing windows at his house. But he's my "best friend" so says an elder that I came out with. hahaha.
Yeah I got it (Daniel's present). I wasn't expecting bought CD's, I thought they were going to be burnt. It's still pretty cool and they are good CD's, thank you.

I feel bad, I totally forgot about his birthday. And I forgot to get you guys something for Christmas, I wanted to get something "southern" but they hardly have anything like that, at least where I'm at because most people here aren't really that "southern" but I do think I know what to get, but I'd have to go to walmart so it might be awhile before it gets there.

Speaking of church how is it? Has it shrunk? I've told some people how small it is and they're surprised it's not a branch. I got the cards from you and the ward, thank you, and it's good to hear from the ward also.

-Elder Garcia

PS Paula Gerwien has pictures of us, she said she wanted our parents contact information so she could send you pictures and talk to you (or something like that) I forgot to give it to her. She probably has a facebook account, I don't know, everyone has a facebook by now. Actually I heard that 1/10 people in the whole world has a facebook now.

(Pictures of John Bytheway in GA)
He’s got two pictures on www.ctrlds.org from when John Bytheway came and spoke to the youth. Go the the “LDS Roswell Stake Activities” and then go to the sub-album “John Bytheway”. He is on the last page.


I'm not finding the pictures of the service project he talks about.  I'll keep looking, or ask him to find out how and where they posted them.

Bits and pieces from several emails ~ the last part is all he had for his blog.

[How's the weather?]

It snowed yesterday (Sunday), it wasn't bad, it didn't really stick to the ground, it looks like it's kinda snowing right now but there's no clouds.  I just don't get the weather out here.

[What Ward are you serving in?]

Webb Bridge, the areas are too big to cover another ward, unless you are the zone leader in the Roswell Stake, they cover the ward they're in and the YSA in Atlanta, or where ever it's at.

[Elder Staton from Roswell Stake, GA (in Tyler's mission) is serving in the YSA branch on Fine Rd.  It's a debate:  Daniel says Staton, Tyler says Stanton]

It looks like Elder Stanton on his plaque.

In our mission it's either a 6 week boot, or you stay in an area from 6 to 9 months.  Most missionaries stay in an area for 7 months.  I've been in the Webb Bridge Ward for like 4 and a half months now.

mmmm. Do you get the Church News newspaper?  The ward Christmas service project at Camp Twin Lakes will be in there sometime this month.  We took a panoramic picture but I don't know if it'll be in there.  There was about 280 members & nonmembers that showed up.

[It may be on lds.org under church news, too.]

8:00 AM

It might take awhile to send letters. I've been stressed this last transfer. So I'm pretty tired or have gotten "lazy" to write people back. I almost feel no desire to do anything or have no energy. But I'm working on it. I'm still doing missionary work, don't get me wrong. We also have a baptism on the 18th which is exciting. This Saturday almost the whole ward[the ward is about 400] so about 300 people which include nonmember friends are going to Camp Twin Lakes in Rutledge, GA. We're doing this huge Service Project instead of having a ward Christmas party. It's not in our Zone but we got permission to go, it's an hour and a half drive. Camp Twin Lakes host things for all sorts of disabilities for kids. I don't know how you would say it but yeah. It's an all day thing too.

So, I'm not getting transfered and neither is my companion. We also had a specialized training on Friday and now our mission gets to go on Mormon.org and create our own profile, which is pretty cool, it might take awhile to be on there though. And we've basically been told to stop tracting, that was cool. Especially here it's doing more harm than good. We've also been asked to ask all our members to make a profile on Mormon.org. Statistics show that 86% of people in the US have negative views on the Church because other people have been telling our story so we've been asked to ask members to make a profile so we can tell our story. On the old Mormon.org the church was getting 100 chats a month but with the new one that came out in June the church is now getting like 10,000 chats a month. Some people in Calgary, Canada have flown into Utah to be baptized by the missionary who chatted with them. And also in New York, some people have flown in to Utah to be baptized by the missionary who chatted with them. It's time we tell our story.

-Elder Garcia