March 24th, 2014

Greetings everyone! Here we are another week, another email. Hope you are all doing well! We are having a very good time here in the Lovell Wyoming stake. The work is exploding!

First off, Arthur is getting baptized! He has been meeting with the missionaries for years! Just in the last 7 months he has wanted to work towards baptism. He used to give the missionaries quite a bit of resistance. His family are former polygamists and he was raised in the Pinesdale colony in Montana. Since he was a teenager he has rejected the FLDS church. The problem we find with children of his background is that they resist any kind of authority, and do not feel fond of organized religion. But Arthur's parents are going to the temple and he wants to hop on board with that. He also knows he needs his kids to have the gospel. We had to approve him through the first presidency. They told us last week on Friday that he was approved! He will be baptized this Saturday! He is by far my favorite investigator I have had. He has a very good knowledge of the gospel, and he shares some of my same hobbies, such as guns, knives, outdoors. Can't wait to see him baptized!

We are finding more and more people to teach in this area. The members are so helpful in our missionary work in Lovell. Much of what is happening could not be possible without the members help. The perfect equation for missionary work is Missionaries and members working together. That is how the gospel will go forth. This is what the Lord meant by D&C 88:73 "Behold, I will hasten my work in it's time." The way it works is through the gospel keys held. The bishop holds the missionary keys to his ward area, and the mission president has keys in the mission which are delegated to the missionaries. Putting these keys together is how it works.

The greatest love you can show to those around you is sharing the gospel. It's the Lord's work. That is part of the Love of Christ that we show. By the way, anyone remember that challenge I gave out? Please respond if you did it!

I hope everyone is doing well!

Elder Garceau

(I love you Mom!!!!)

March 17th, 2014

welcome back to my weekly email everyone! I hope you are all in good health! I have had a very good week. Since all the snow has melted, and things have warmed up, we can walk everywhere a lot more easily. Finally able to get some exercise. My companion and I have started running in the mornings. We're both workout addicts so it's perfect!

we are having some great experiences. We ran into a family the other day that will let us come and teach them about the gospel. We were looking for a different person who's friend told us they wanted the lessons. The kids were playing outside and the grandmother came out to tell them to come in and we asked if we could talk to them about Jesus Christ. They said sure and we went right on in. We were at the Hernandez family's house for about an hour and a half teaching the kids about who Jesus is. They had a lot of questions for us! They said that we could come back this week! I am very excited!

Everyone around here is doing the "winter challenge". It all started with the basketball coach... You jump into freezing cold water and then challenge others to do it. I am very glad that I am not allowed to swim as a missionary, ha. 

In the last few months we have had some missionaries return home from missions. Just yesterday we were at a mission homecoming and we had dinner with the family. Heard some great stories. All of the RMs here have cool stories about weird foods. The only thing I have to brag about it those rocky mountain oysters. 

But that's all fine. I know this is the best place for me to be called on a mission. I love the people here so much!

Something to remember: People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care.

My first district leader, Elder Croteau, would say that all the time and it stuck.

You can have all the love in the world for someone, but if you don't show it, they won't know it. When someone knows that you care about them, they will want to listen to what you have to say more. The best way to share the wonderful message of Christ is to be a loving person and share your own testimony. Try that this week! Tell me how it goes! This is my challenge to you!

love, Elder Garceau

(love you mom!)

March 10th, 2014

Greetings everyone! Things have been speeding up here. 

I got a new companion, Elder Decker. He is from Mana, Iowa. He's a good Elder to serve with. We have gotten to know each other and he likes to workout almost as much as I do so we should get along pretty well. We taught a good amount of lessons last week (considering it was a transfer week) and we are getting ready to teach some new people this week. Can't wait!

We had some flooding happen over the weekend because of all the snow melting. We had to place sandbags along the ditches. One house on our street got some water in the basement. We had the fire department out helping us. We sandbagged enough to stop the water. It really wasn't that bad, but it's probably the biggest thing to happen in Byron WY for years. Some good came out of it though, people who didn't like us before are now very accepting.

I've got a picture of me with Elder Rust. I miss him a little bit, we spent a lot of time together. He is a great Elder and a good friend to have. Now he's in his last transfer in Butte Montana. He'll be going home in April. I'm very glad to have served with him.

The snow is still lingering around and it shouldn't be. It's very muddy here. I don't like the slushy mud one bit.

I don't like to admit this, but something made me cry on Sunday. The ward choir in Byron (not that great to listen to) sang, "I need thee every hour". That song doesn't usually make me cry (especially when sung by them), but the stake president's daughter accompanied them with her violin and it reminded me of how my sister, Mary, would play in sacrament meeting every once in a while. I don't even get very homesick out here, but that hit me hard and it was hard to control. 

We sometimes forget that we really do need our savior every moment of the day. The day is always better when you have the savior's influence constantly. The best times in my life have been when I fully gave my will to the savior and fully immersed myself in his love. The best way to get that is prayer. Have a constant prayer in your heart. You don't have to be praying in your mind 24/7, but think about the things you ask the Lord, ponder his words always. It's amazing what a life with prayer can do for you.

I hope all is well!

Elder Garceau

(I love you mom!)  

March 3rd, 2014

Hello everyone! It's a new week, and a new transfer as well! (drum roll please.............) I'm staying in Byron and Lovell for another transfer! My companion Elder Rust is getting transfered and I will be getting Elder Decker. I don't know Elder Decker very well but he should be a good companion from what I hear about him. Elder Rust will be missed as he goes to Butte Montana. It's been a good run. The area has been changed so much since I've been here that it isn't really the same as it was at first, there are still changes taking place, so I will have plenty of new things happening around here.

They say the weather is going to improve, then get worse, get better, then get worse again. Sounds like Wyoming. Just when we think things are going to be better, they get worse again. Such is life in the Bighorn Basin. All we can do is smile and think how fortunate we are to have so many blessings in this area!

Not much else has really happened here.

We are continuing to do splits with the priests in the stake. They are such great young men. So many of them are a lot further along than I was before I came on my mission, I'll tell you that.

I hope everyone has a great day!

Elder Garceau

(I love you mom!)