December 15th, 2014

We just went to Billings for Christmas zone conference and I wore my new tie that I got from Ross! It's awesome!

Transfers! I am no longer going to be in Poplar, I am going back to Billings and my new companion is Elder Decker. I don't know if he is related to the other companion I had named Elder Decker, but I hear he is a great guy!

I will be serving in the Canyon Creek Ward this time. I don't know if I live with members or not. But if anyone needs to send me mail now, please send it to the mission home address until I can tell you my new one.

 

1848 Rimrock Rd

Billings, MT 59102

 

We have had a great week full of surprises and good teaching. I'm a little sad to be leaving here, especially before Christmas where I am going to a place that no one knows who I am.

 

But the good news is that I get to go to a wedding for one of the members here. They are having it in Billings and I got invited! So that's really cool.

 

Three elders are leaving Poplar, and only one is staying. There will be two Elders serving in Poplar as opposed to the four that we normally have.

 

I think it's been good serving here. I am really going to miss it. I don't think I will come back to live here like some Elders have thought, but I will definitely need to arrange a visit after the mission. I still don't know how I'm going to talk to Wasichu (white people) again haha. I'm going to have to find my native friends when I go to Billings. 

 

I'm stopping by the bead store to get some beading kits because I still haven't learned how to do that, but I hear it's easy. A lady is going to take me to the store and show me everything that I need. Her name is Cheyenne Foote.

She is a Chantay Washte Wia (Good Hearted Woman). She actually just got baptized and she is going to show me how to bead.

 

I'm also going to get a Sioux dictionary so that I can bear my testimony in Sioux. I love the language and it's a little similar to German in the way the sentence structure and some pronunciations are. 

 

More than anything I am going to miss the people. But I can't wait to see the people I am going to get to teach in Canyon creek ward!

 

Have a good day everyone!

 

Elder Garceau

 

(I love you Mom!)

I have learned a little bit like:

Mato Sapa (black bear)

Chantay (Heart)

Washte (Good)

Wakan (Holy)

Wakan Taka (Holy Father)

Takashala (the Creator)

Wia (Woman)

Wasichu (White person)

But I don't think I can hold a conversation yet haha.

I want to get to that point.

Then I can speak it better than most Sioux

Our God is an awesome God. He gave us Caffeine free Pepsi and it's not even Diet!

This is us at the Presbyterian Church singing with the community Choir for the community Christmas program. They were happy to have us there because there weren't very many men to sing.

December 8th, 2014

It's been another week. We had a great Christmas zone conference. The trip to Billings was pretty great. We got to sleep on the floor in Billings at some Elder's apartment there, then on the way back up we stopped in Glendive and slept in the really cold Trailer that the Elders there live in. I am very happy to have by own bed back!

 

I would also like to add that I felt very uncomfortable being away from the reservation, which is a sign that I have been here for too long. For one, I am not used to being around other white people anymore. I don't know why. I know it sounds racist but try to see it from my point of view. I feel much more comfortable around native Americans. When I go somewhere else it's really going to take some adjustment. For another thing, we don't have sister missionaries in our zone and I didn't know if I was going to be able to communicate with Sisters that I know at zone conference. When you serve with just Elders for a while you get accustomed to a gorilla-like grunting dialect that is unintelligible to any sisters that might be listening. I might as well go to neverland and join with the lost boys, because that's what it's like.

 

I sent a lot of pictures home that I hope suffice for my loss of words, but cool things have been happening.

 

 OH and by the way, I got an email telling me that I have been accepted for BYUI! So I can start school their next fall hopefully. It's exciting because I already know so many people going to school their.

 

I am excited for the fresh start I get from going to a new place with new people. I don't have to go back to my old ways of thinking or my old habits. It's an opportunity to put things in the past and become something new and better than before.

 

We have a new transfer coming up because this is only a 5 week transfer. This is the last week of the transfer. The reason being is because of Christmas coming up and our mission president doesn't want transfer day to land upon Christmas Eve.

 

I hope everything is going well, stay warm!

 

Elder Garceau

(I love you mom!)

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The assistants dressed up in Christmas costumes and we got to take pictures with them.

 

YOU will never guess who I ran into!

Sister Singson! (sitting in front of me in the photo)

 

She is the Granddaughter of Joyce Schroepple who used to be in my ward in Ivins and is good friends with my Mom!

 

It was very neat that we ran into each other!

_________

We had thanksgiving dinner with the Pipe Family. They are so great.

Two of sister Pipe's kids just got back from serving missions.

 

Starting from top left:

Jessica, Amanda, Jared, Myself, Elder Anthony

 

Starting from bottom left:

Debbie, Heather, Horace, Elder Montague

 

And Elder Hausia at the bottom

Jessica, Amanda and Horace are all three going to be attending BYUI next fall so I might see them there!

 

Dec 1, 2014

Hello everyone! Sorry this is going to be a short one because we are going to christmas zone conference! 

We just had a baptism on saturday! Grandma Cheyenne is going to be so great! She bore her testimony in the font right after the ordinance! There was the spirit of prophecy there! Her family members also bore testimony and shared prophecies that their families have had, it was seriously the best baptism ever!

Elder Hausia felt prompted to do like Alma by the river side and ask,

"Behold, here are the waters of Mormon (for thus were they called) and now, as ye are desirous to come into the fold of God, and to be called his people,and are willing to bear one 

another’s burdens, that they may be light;...

Now I say unto you, if this be the desire of your hearts, what have you against being baptized in the name of the Lord, as a witness before him that ye have entered into a covenant with him, that ye will serve him and keep his commandments, that he may pour out his Spirit more abundantly upon you?" Mosiah 18

He didn't do it though. But we all made a commitment to each other that if the spirit was ever that strong again like it was, we would ask the question to everyone there.

I hope you all have a great day!

-Elder Garceau

(I love you mom)

November 29th, 2014

Just Girding up my loins like everyone else...

November 24th, 2014

Greetings everyone! Had a great week. Poplar is a blast, but it's stinking cold.

I went to Glasgow on my first exchange as a district leader. The first person I met there was Sister Mickelson. She owns a bakery and fed us all lunch for free! It was awesome. I also found out she served in my uncle's mission in Germany. 

Then I met the Hair and Makeup man for Xena the Warrior Princess. He did some work for Tuacahn a while ago, he's the ward mission leader, owns a bar he inherited from his brother, and he's a Mormon.

But it's just so weird working in a town where most of the people are white. I'm not racist, but I feel a little out of place when I don't see natives everywhere. White people are mean sometimes.

We have had a lot of miracles last week and I don't think I can possibly tell you about all of them to tell you the truth. 

But I did have my first Baptism interview yesterday. It was amazing. The Lady I interviewed is a very big deal in the native culture on this reservation. She is over 60 and does native dance. She went to Canada to compete and beat 24 other younger dancers in a competition. Everyone has basically adopted her as their grandmother so she knows everyone. She has such a good testimony of the Book of Mormon and the priesthood. She is getting baptized on Saturday. I am very happy for her.

Some members invited us over for thanksgiving. so that seems very promising. Our mission president told us that he wants us to work hard doing missionary work everyday, except Thursday. He wants us going to as many dinners as possible! This will be my third thanksgiving away from home.

If I could think of anything else to write about I would, but I hope the pictures suffice!

Have a good one!

-Elder Garceau
(I love you mom!)

The fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

November 17th, 2014

This was us doing the orienteering course for the Boy Scouts. It was a great success and the boys loved it! There I was tromping around in the boonies in boots and a suit...

November 10th, 2014

This week is transfers again. Elder Hausia and I are staying in Poplar and will still be companions. And I am the new district leader in Glendive Zone Northern District. I will admit that I was kind of expecting it.

I received a phone call from the Assistants interviewing me because I was being considered for a leadership position. I felt like I was going to stay here because that is the feeling I got from the spirit. And Elder Brisco has been the district leader for a while. More responsibility. it's a wonderful thing! I can't wait to grow from this! It's going to hurt no doubt, but the Lord never makes us better without making it hurt a little first.

This transfer is only going to be a 5 week transfer.

more news... I almost got kissed by a drunk lady last week, and she asked if she could take me and my companion home with her. Interesting...

The first snow of the season was yesterday! Now we'll be driving and sliding all over the place. It's going to be so cold this winter. time to embrace the suck! -40s here we come!

Oh my goodness! We have the best investigators ever! We have been teaching a couple named John and Davi. They are so prepared. They have read so many different books and heard about so many other religions. but they are now hearing about the gospel of Jesus Christ. And they believe that our church is the closest to the complete truth. They like us a lot.

We went over to teach them on Wednesday. John said that the second he saw me he felt like he had met me somewhere before.

It just reminded me of a promise given to me by my bishop before I left on my mission. He said to me many times,"There are people waiting to hear your voice." And I have recognized that and looked for that my whole mission. John is definitely one of those people. I'm almost certain that we were friends before this life. He has a very familiar spirit. I know that the Lord has sent me here for a reason and he needs me in Poplar still so that I can find more people who need to hear my voice.

I was given a blessing when I first got here by one of the assistants who I am somewhat close to. He used to be my district leader and zone leader. he told me that I would share the gospel with many here in Poplar. I don't feel like I am done here yet.

Well I hope everyone is having a good day!

Elder Garceau

(I love you Mom!)

Breaded Pollock! super good! Used lemon with it. It was so good!