Merry Christmas!!!

This past week we went to Aix en provence and presented the transfer focus to the Montpellier and aix en provence zones it was great to see mission friends and spend time with President and Soeur Murdock.

Thank you so much for all of the wonderful gifts, cookies from the Goodwins, and other packages! Tell everyone THANK YOU!! Cards from all the extended family and friends! Much needed candy and hygiene from you, the family and so many other great expressions of love! My Christmas season was a great one and I looking forward to be sharing Christmas with all of you next year! Let me know what you doing for new years!

I love Montpellier it has been a ride and thrill to be a missionary in such a large city! This Christmas season really has opened doors!

I miss you all and I'll defiantly will miss singing Christmas Carrols on the busses, trams, and streets. I think we will continue singing just not Christmas songs!

Merry Christmas!

Love,

Elder Garlock

Step Away from the Car!

I got pulled over Tuesday... It was in the middle of no where and I was going up a one way.

French one ways are very confusing because on some of the quote on quote one ways both sides pass and wait for the other car and take turns. The one way that I went up the wrong way was signed the same way but once getting up the one way I realized that the sign was misleading and the police station was right in front of me. A women stood up from her desk pointing at me and signaled that I pull over. I did so. Then I explained the misleading signs and confusion... She took all of my papers (gratefully I had my passport and titre de sejour) and walked back into the station. 10 minutes go by and she came back out telling me the gendarmerie (national police) will deal with my situation.

At this time Elder Claflin is keeping his cool and I'm thinking I'm a dead man... the song I'll be home for Christmas ran through my head a couple times. The gendarmerie pull up and ask me to step out of the car and come inside with them. We walk inside and had an interview of my dealings why I was there etc normal police stuff. Then I find out from them if you have been in France longer than a year your permit is invalid-- I'm no math matition but I have definitely been in France longer than a year. So little red alarms start sounding in my head and genie from Aladdin mayday call sounds. I some how from the grace on high come away with a 135 euro ticket(I don't think I'm going to buy a suit but instead use that money for the ticket) ;( and a huge headache.

30 minutes after this incident we receive a call from President Murdock (in no relation whatsoever to my ticket) telling us to park our car. We get talking and find out the night before president had received a phone call from the inter region authorities warning him about this law of one year drivers. President found that 10 of the 14 zone leaders with cars have no longer the right to drive. Meaning a huge problem was at hand.

President after hearing my ticket story gets off the phone with us and talks to the mission lawyer and finds out that the states of Washington and Utah never ever have the right to use their licensees to drive in France.

In other news my voice is raw i have probably sung Silent Night in English over 100 times this week. We have two versions one is me singing pop and Elder Claflin beat boxing underneath and the 2nd is us singing together as a duo.

Montpellier is so beautiful with the lights and little shops all over town.

Love,

Elder Garlock

Merry Christmas from Montpellier!

Montpellier Montpellier!

My voice is shot! Singing for multiple hours a day in colder temperatures is not the best for a voice as delicate and fragile as mine. Elder Claflin played a square garbage can as a drum and I danced and sang with a lot of zeal. I definitely tried to fulfill the Lords commandment to shout and cry repentance even with a voice like unto a trumpet :) I'm pretty sure if anyone of you saw me singing and dancing in English and French like I was doing, everyone would be laughing.

We have a multiple sweet experiences with many people stopping to listen to us and 4 people on separate occasions picking up our extra hymnals and singing with me and Elder garbage can ;) We have seen it go over a ton better with the other two missionaries singing with us at night.

I asked the members if they had a guitar that we could play and we found one from one of the members. Montpellier is a very, very musically oriented ward.

We got stopped by the police multiple times this week again and President Murdock is now giving us legal backing to present to police men when they stop us. I am hoping not to get arrested.

I am grateful for the light, knowledge and intelligence that God can accord us when we are worthily working for His Glory. I claim in no respect that I am in the category of the un ignorant because the more I learn the more I realize how much more there is to learning. I am extremely grateful for the Love Jesus offers me. O it is wonderful wonderful to me.

This is the work of the Lord and the more I work in living a life of continual purity, keeping the commandments of God, and following His Spirit, the more my testimony is rendered stronger and becomes more clear that this is not the work of men but rather the work of God.

Love,

Elder Garlock

What a Wild Missionary Week!

Probably one of the most eventful in my mission experience. Where to begin?

How about David...

David was a man that i contacted in Centerville. He seemed quite interested and was very respectful. We set a meeting time and the night it was supposed to happen the buses were on strike so he couldnt make it. We then invited him to just come to church and he couldn't make it because of buses again. SO we finally set up a meeting on Monday. We met at a members house who is a stud named Amié. He used to be a professional soccer player until he got into a car accedent which crippled him and he has been in a wheelchair ever since. He met the missionaries and recieved a strong, strong testimony of the restored gospel. He has such a great attitude, perspective and really loves helping the missionaries. So it was perfect. David came on Monday. The spirit was strong. He even accepted to be baptised. He read, prayed, came to church and met with a us 3 times a week it was a very, very spiritual experience and was a miracle before our eyes. We left the meeting on cloud 9 and were excited to see David throughout the week. We then recieved a text message the next day which was completly on the other side of the scale. I won't go into details because it is not appropriate to share but Elder Claflin and I really pondered, prayed and tried to find where we went wrong, where the basis for a reaction like we recieved was rooted. We learned a valuable lesson. As disiples and members of the restored Church of Jesus Christ, we are asked to invite boldly simply and with the spirit. We can in no way have fear because of reactions to invitations such as these. David bless his soul really rejected pretty bodly simply and more rudly than anyone could our invitation in a very cowardly text manner. However, Elder Claflin and I felt peace comfort and reassured that we had fulfilled our objective. God doesn't only ask us to invite those who we have 100 percent surety will accept the invitation but asks and commands that as disciples who have taken on His Sons name to invite ALL CREATERS of our God and King!

Sending love and courage and Christmas greetings!

Also I have been singing a ton recently on the street and to whomever will open their door to us its been really fun cuz Elder Claflin beat boxes underneath me!

love,
Elder Garlock

Eight Days a Week!

Golly time is flying.

Push ups in the morning are really adding up and the french language continues to become more and more intricate. I sometimes wonder how in the world I got by on what little knowledge of the french language I had a year ago. It was no doubt the gift of tongues.

Montpellier is the 8th largest ville with the most world's famous prankster named Remi Gaillard check out his you tube videos. I hear they are sweet from all the members. But as missionaries we are all dying because we can't watch em.

There has been plenty of opposition thrown our way in all directions recently it seems every time a great thing is happening there is opposition. If we can push the limits and be instruments in the Lord's hands there has got to be a miracle coming. Until then we work diligently and patiently on the Lord's time table not ours.

I am super excited for NOEL this year because I am totally going to take it to a new level Elder Claflin beat boxing and me singing at the place de la comedie. It is this HUGE POPULAR square in the middle of town.

Well, Christmas is in the air and Thanksgiving went well we had a little gathering with 4 other missionaries and ate a little meal which was fun. I am so grateful for your love and many prayers. I love the memories of Thanksgiving and Christmas together I can't think about it for to long or I get all trunky! But I am grateful for the unity that our family shares. What a great decision it was to live so close to family and so many other family friends. It really helped form my childhood and youth.

I love that it is easy for me to testify of the power of daily family scripture study and prayer. As well as family home evenings o ya!

Love,
Elder Garlock

Not Enough Time in The Day!!

Transfer day has been crazy! Almost all of the transfer trains have been late today! My new comp is Elder Claflin. I'm staying here in Montpellier so I'll be here for Christmas. We have been looking for a new apt for the soeurs and Internet cafe so I can send pictures!

This past week we went to Beziers for an exchange. It was great to see everybody again. Happy Thanksgiving! I am grateful for each one of you.

Love,
Elder Garlock

Zone Conference

Zone Conference!!

This week was Zone conference. Elder Nakken and I put on the lunch afterward and spoke after the mission presidents wife, Soeur Murdock for an hour according to our zone needs. It was very fun!! Tacos!! mmmmm Yes!!! We cooked the meat, bought the lettuce, tomatoes, salsa, sour cream, cheese and threw in a hint of lime. It seemed like it went over well, because everyone was stuffed and we had leftovers which we took home! I'm looking forward to shopping today so I can eat something other than tacos :) We also had an Elder from China cook two apple pies and a cheesecake.

This Zone Conference was a special one because we had personal interviews with president. The theme for the conference was for us to roar like lions. It was very inspiring and this past week after the conference we have seen fruits. Every companionship in the zone has someone fixed for baptism. Miracles are happening.

Randomly, since being gone for so long, memories will pop in and out of my head from back home. It feels like that world was just a dream. France seems so much like home now. It's hard to imagine I'll be going back home in less than a year.

It seems All of our people close to baptism have been letting opposition win. Seriously, there have been 9 people ready and standing at the waters of baptism but for one reason or another have not entered. I am hoping the Soeur missionaries that are coming will be able to break this drought!

My old ville of Béziers has been EXPLODING with 2 baptisms since I left and the branch is just gaining momentum!! It's so great to see the branch have new life, new fire and to see them thrust in their sickles to do the will of our Heavenly Father.

I loved this past talk about the Book of Mormon It was amazing!!! Everyone share it with your friends! http://lds.org/?lang=eng

Love you all!!

Elder Garlock